


In Order to Live, We Must Keep Daring

by UntitledAlsoUnknown



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), Supergirl (TV 2015), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-17
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2020-12-21 07:16:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 27,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21071003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UntitledAlsoUnknown/pseuds/UntitledAlsoUnknown
Summary: Kara Danvers is a junior in high school, and she has finally achieved her dream. She's the starting quarterback at Midvale High. She's fighting hard to bring her school their first championship since the eighties, alongside her cousin Clark and her best friend Winn. There has been no real time for relationships, math is the worst subject, and colleges will be scouting her soon. That's more than enough for one teenager, right? In comes Lena Luthor, the intriguing younger sister of well-known bully Lex. Why does she affect Kara so? What could this be? Obviously Supercorp. I'm gay, it's gay, have fun.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Oh hey, what's up, I write too much and too little at the same time. How is this possible?

Kara was doomed the day she met Lena Luthor. She didn't know it, not right away, because Kara had one thing on her mind: football. With the focus on football came, of course, other things. She focused on throwing to her cousin, Clark, in the backyard. She focused on taking a hit from 220 lb boys without getting hurt. She thought about the routes her teammates ran. She thought about Jack, the three-inch taller and fifty pounds heavier sophomore trying to usurp her rightful place as starter. Now that Jimmy Olsen had graduated, there was room for a starting quarterback. Kara had quietly watched every play, studied every route. She had been let on the team as a Title IX requirement; she knew that. Equal rights laws had demanded that Kara be given a place on the boy's team if there wasn't a girl's team in the same sport. Her freshman year had been painful. Boys made kissy sounds at her. They glared at her. They shoved her into lockers and made jokes when she went to the girl's locker room. It didn't matter. Kara would never give in. She had dreams that wouldn't quit.

In Kara's bag, she carried a signed Nick Foles rookie card. He had been drafted out of college to the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round of the draft. He was the starting quarterback for the Eagles, and he was good. Not good enough, it would seem. Number 9 was traded away to the Rams, who didn't appreciate him, but Kara never gave up supporting him. When the Rams picked up a new quarterback, Foles, who had to wear number 5, asked to be released. He considered retiring before his old coach picked him up to play with the Chiefs. Nick ended up back with the Eagles, back in number 9, and he won them their first Superbowl in franchise history. Kara lived for that story. All she wanted was her own success story. She felt the determination in her bones. She wore number nine to honor that story and build her own magic.  
She wore number nine while tearing her heels open in her new cleats.

She wore number nine while throwing forty yards to Clark on the practice field.

She wore number nine while she ran the fifty-yard dash faster than Jack Spheer, her younger competition.

She wore number nine when she denied the coach's offer of making her a running back instead of a quarterback.

She wore number nine when she lifted more weight, pound for pound, than most of the boys did.

She wore number nine when she threw up after the summer two-a-days wind sprints finally got to her.

She wore number nine when Jack finally got fed up and took a swing at her during practice. 

Tensions ran high on the field. Jack had, in his own words, "been bred to be a starter." His dad had won the district championship in 89, and Jack was sure the starter spot was his. "No girl would destroy his legacy," he had shouted before taking the first swing at the smaller quarterback. At six feet, Jack wasn't to be messed with, but five-foot-nine Kara would never cave. She ducked the first punch and responded with a solid uppercut that caught Jack right on the chin. He buckled and hit the ground. 

Coach Queen grabbed Jack boy by the collar of his practice jersey and threw him out with a gruff, "Get the fuck outta here, boy." Jack stumbled towards the locker room, throwing his helmet at the bleachers as he passed them. He ripped off his practice jersey, throwing the number five to the wind.

Coach Queen looked at Kara, arms folded across his chest. "It was going to be a hard decision, but it's easier now." He pointed at Kara. "QB one." He pointed at Mon-El, a squirrelly boy who was even smaller than Kara. "QB 2, can you handle that Mike?" Coach Queen didn't like Mon-El's name, so he'd nicknamed him Mike. Mon-El nodded, folding his arms to mimic Coach, and puffed out his chest. Coach Queen raised one eyebrow, and Mon-El deflated.

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Now, Danvers, we've got two weeks to opening day. You have to be able to take a hit."

"Yeah," Kara murmured, "If they can catch me."

"That's what I like to hear." Coach said with a small smile on his face. He would never admit it, but Kara was a spitfire, and he was more than happy for her to be his starter. "Let's go!" Coach Queen shouted. "Offensive defensive drills! First defender to sack the QB gets ten bucks!" The boys lined up quickly. "Good luck, Danvers."

Kara lined up, smiling beneath her helmet. Coach let her call the plays. Assistant Coach Diggle stood beside Coach Queen. He folded his arms in front of his chest and quietly asked Coach Queen, "Oliver, are you sure you want to just dismiss Jack like that?"

"Watch," Queen nodded in the direction of their newly named starter. Kara unloaded pass after pass, spreading them evenly across the field. When there was no one open it almost looked like Queen was about to be out ten bucks, but Kara exploded out of the gap between two linemen and ran for twenty yards before someone managed to tangle up her feet. Other than that, not a single person laid hands on the quarterback. "See," Coach Queen said as he hit Diggle in the chest. "I knew she was our starter, regardless. No one can question me when they know what Jack pulled, trying to hit a girl." Coach Queen smiled at QB number one. "What they don't know is that's not 'just a girl'" he put air quotes around the phrase, clipboard tucked under his armpit. "That's a starting quarterback. She can defend herself, and she's gonna carry us straight to playoffs if we shape up around her. We'll have a championship this year or next, you watch."

"Bet on it," Diggle grumbled.

"Five large?" Queen asked.

"Five grand? Easy for a billionaire. With Lyla at home and Sara in diapers? She'd kill me."

Oliver nodded at his assistant coach. "If she doesn't get us a championship, I will pay you five grand. If she does, you have to tell everyone you meet you were wrong and I was right about her for a week."

"Deal." Diggle and Queen shook hands. Coach Barry Allen eyed them, knowing that betting against Oliver Queen was always foolish. Queen pointed at Barry, wondering if he wanted to get in on the bet. Barry shook his head, so Queen blew the whistle loudly, making Diggle roll his eyes. The team gathered up as coach announced he owed the entire offense ten bucks each for protecting their quarterback. He also announced the starting offense, saying that Jack was out of the running. The boys clapped. Clark slapped Kara happily on the back, calling them the one-two punch. Kara pushed him away, and he stumbled while the rest of the boys laughed. She had never felt so happy in her life.

Kara walked home from the practice, pads and cleats hanging off her left shoulder, backpack hanging from her right. She couldn't wait to get home and tell the Danvers, her adoptive family, how she had done. Jeremiah would die when he knew she was following in his footsteps as starting QB. Kara left Clark at his house, where he couldn't wait to tell his mom and dad.

Clark was Kara's biological cousin, placed with an adoptive family just like she was. Clark had been left with the Zor-El family when he was a baby. His mom had disappeared, and his dad was a mystery. Until they were six, Kara and Clark had been raised by her parents. When the Zor-El's died in a fire, Kara and Clark hadn't been able to be placed in a home together. Kara had been placed with the Danvers, who had a daughter about her age. Clark had been placed with the Kents, a lovely couple who couldn't have a child and were happy to adopt one. Kara and Clark knew they had been lucky. They were only a few blocks apart, and they were still in their hometown. Everyone knew their story, but everyone had known them since birth. They were three miles from the hospital they'd been born in. They were down the street from where they had been raised. Clark and Kara had taken their adoptive family's last names, but they both adopted Zor-El as their middle names as an ode to the people who loved them as best as, and as long as, they could.

Clark jogged to his house, dropping his shoes and pads on the porch as his dad opened the door. He threw his arms around his dad, dwarfing him, and give him the good news. "Kara's starting!"

"No she isn't!" Johnathan exclaimed. "Martha, get out here!" Martha hurried to the door. Kara dragged her hand down her sweaty face. "Kara, tell your aunt!"

"Hey, Aunt Martha," Kara waved sheepishly. "I got named starter."

"You didn't!" She gasped. Kara nodded, and Martha jogged to her niece on the sidewalk. "I'm so proud of you!" Martha crushed Kara. "Oh, you're gross." Martha let go and stepped back. Kara shrugged. "We are so proud of you. Aren't we Johnathan!"

"We are so proud!" He echoed from where he stood on the porch, an arm around Clark's shoulders. "Alright, get in the house. Chores and a shower before dinner!" Johnathan gave his son a gentle shove, sending him to the screen door. Clark disappeared obediently. "Kara, you beat out Jack?" Kara let his astonishment go.

"I did." She smiled, deciding not to let her aunt and uncle know that Jack had tried to hit her. They would be appalled, and likely to call the Spheer parents. "Coach named me starter today. It's official."

"We're so happy. Go home and tell your parents. Jeremiah and Eliza are simply going to die."

Kara laughed. "Don't say that. Mom might actually die. She gets torn between telling me I should quit and explaining the physics that will allow me to beat the bigger boys. Depends on the day."

Martha laughed and hugged Kara one more time. "You hurry home. Johnathan and I have to finish dinner before Clark finishes his chores. You know how that boy can eat."

Kara laughed again, thanking her lucky stars for the Kents and all their love. "I'm going. Dad's gonna love this." Kara waved at them as she left. She only had a few blocks to go before she would finally be home. Kara hummed to herself, some tune she'd heard on the radio the day before. She turned the corner and saw a girl she'd never seen before.

The girl in front of her was a stranger, which didn't make sense. In a town of 3,000, she knew every single person of school age. The girl was leaning over into the engine of a gorgeous sports car. She seemed assured in everything she did, and Kara wondered who she could be. The girl seemed to sense she was being watched. She stood up and wiped her hands on a rag before turning around. She locked eyes with Kara, who realized she had been staring. The girl looking at her was sixteen, maybe seventeen, had pale white skin, jet black hair, and light green eyes that seemed to strip Kara bare. "Can I help you?" The girl asked in a clipped tone.

"No. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare. Something wrong with your car?" Kara asked as she looked over the sports car in front of her. She knew it was a Mustang, and that was about it. Kara didn't do cars.

"Not really. Just a loose spark plug. Happens when you let a shop deal with your car's tune up instead of doing it yourself. Jiggle the wire, push it back down, everything is fine." Lena held the rag in her hand, looking Kara up and down.

"Cars. Yep."

Lena smiled a wry, sarcastic smile. Her eyes settled on Kara's football pads. She responded with, "Sports. Yep."

Kara shook her head and took a step towards Lena. "Hi, I'm Kara. Kara Danvers."

Lena took Kara's hand in her slightly oily hand. "Lena. Lena Luthor." Kara didn't think twice about the oil now on her hand. "You go to the high school?" Lena nodded in the direction of the high school.

"I do. Luthor, as in Lex?"

Lena rolled her eyes. "Yes, as in Lex. But don't judge me off that idiot."

Kara laughed, remembering the rude shit brick that was Lex Luthor. Thankfully, he and James had graduated the same year, so Lex was out of town going to college. "I won't, I promise."

"Good. Because I start at the school on Monday, and I can only imagine how many people are going to hear Luthor and be waiting for me to blow up the chemistry lab."

Kara smiled. "What's chemistry?"

"Oh god, please don't be a dumb jock." Lena put a hand on her forehead, smearing oil across her smooth skin.

Kara laughed. "I'm kidding. My parents are scientists."

"Danvers, right? Like Eliza and Jeremiah?" Kara nodded, and Lena continued. "Oh, thank god. You come from good stock. They work at my parents' company."

"Don't get your hopes up. I'm adopted."

Lena rolled her eyes. "This conversation is like a rollercoaster. Are you smart, are you not? I don't know."

"Well, for someone so smart, you must already know you have oil on your forehead." Lena leaned over and used the car's side mirror to see her forehead. "Who's dumb now?" Kara laughed as she started to walk away.

"I'm betting it's you!" Lena called to Kara's back.

"We'll see, Miss Luthor, we'll see," Kara called over her shoulder as she continued home. She heard the Mustang fire up behind her. Looks like Lena was pretty good with cars. Kara couldn't identify the feeling settling in the back of her mind, but she ignored it when she got to her front door. It was time to tell her family the good news.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Setups are my favorite.

Kara stood in front of the mirror as she got ready for school. "Kara, Alex, you're gonna be late! Let's go!" Eliza's voice called up the stairs.

"Kara's hogging the mirror!" Alex shouted back as she stood behind Kara and tried to get her hair right.

"Am not!" Kara called as she shoulder-checked Alex out of the way. "You're the worst Alex."

"You're adopted." Alex laughed.

"At least they chose me," Kara laughed back.

Alex looked offended. "I...have nothing." Alex gave in as Kara moved away from the mirror. Kara had on a pair of dark wash jeans. Her plaid button-down was tucked into them, the entire outfit tied together with Converse. Kara grabbed her glasses case and tucked it into her backpack. She wore contacts every day but always brought her glasses just in case. She liked her glasses, but they were in the way under a football helmet. Clark had matching glasses and wore contacts for the same reason. Alex spun around quickly and slapped Kara's stomach. "Pink Belly!" She yelled, running down the stairs. Kara slung her backpack over and shoulder and wheezed from the surprise attack. She followed Alex down the stairs, leaping the last two stairs to tackle her sister.

Jeremiah grabbed each of his girls and hauled them apart. "I swear, I raised two boys." Eliza stood behind him, smiling at her family. "Now, I believe your mother said you're going to be late."

Alex and Kara looked cowed. "Sorry mom," they echoed. Alex grabbed her duffle bag. She had a volleyball game after school, and being late would jeopardize her ability to play. Kara grabbed her football duffle and followed her sister to the car.

"Have a good day girls!" Eliza called as she and Jeremiah got in their car. They drove together to Luthor Corp each day. The SUV the Danvers' parents drove pulled out of the driveway and turned left. As soon as their parents were out of sight, Alex backed her used Civic out of the driveway and turned right. They pulled into Clark's driveway. Clark was on the porch, ready to go.

"You know," Clark said, "If you guys are going to be late every day this year, I might start walking."

"You could," Alex hedged, "But then you would never get to ride in Ginerva." Alex pet the dashboard of her prized red Civic. "This Weasley is the high point of your day."

"You're such a nerd," Clark responded as he flipped through his phone. "KD, did you see the National City lineup? Adam and Carter Grant are both starting wideouts."

Kara rolled her eyes. "I assumed as much. Who's their QB?"

"If the Voice's speculation is to be trusted, then I'm pretty sure it's John."

"Corben?" Alex yelled. "That douchenozzle?"

"One and the same," Clark agreed, laughing. "I think Donovon fractured his wrist, so he's out for at least six weeks." Kara made a noncommittal noise. Corben was a real pain in the ass. He made kissy faces at Kara when they lined up in the field before games. She was ready to knock him out. "It's really good news for us. Not only is their best QB out, it's a home game this week."

"You guys ready?" Alex asked as they pulled into the parking lot. "Eliza and Jeremiah already bought their jerseys."

"Yeah, so did my mom and dad."

"You know, the fieldhouse is probably kept in business by our family's alone." Kara rolled her eyes. Every year her parents bought a new jersey, even though they had two each. This year, however, they were getting new names on the back. "You heard what they did, right Clark?"

"No, what?"

Your parents' jerseys say Superman. My parents' say Supergirl." 

Clark laughed out loud. "Girl?"

"Dude, shut up. The paper named me. I guess I'll just have to show them what this _girl_ can do."

Alex pulled up to the spot she always parked in, only to find it occupied. "What the fuck? Who's in my spot!"

Kara laughed. She recognized the dark Mustang in front of her. "That's Lena Luthor's car."

Alex parked next to the Mustang, glaring at it angrily. "They're rich right? She can afford to repair it if I key it?"

The driver's side door of the Mustang opened. Lena stepped out. "I could repair it, of course, but I would be required to respond in kind, but to also escalate a little bit. I'm thinking I would key your car and put an egg on the front hood? I imagine you would respond with slashed tires, and I would have to remove crucial parts of your engine. That just seems like a lot of work, doesn't it?"

Kara and Clark laughed, while Alex just glared. "You're in my spot."

"Am I?" Lena made a show of looking under her car.

"What are you doing?" Kara asked.

"Checking to see if anyone's name is on the spot. It doesn't seem so." Lena stood up and brushed the dirt off her hands. "Sorry..." Lena paused. "I don't know your name."

"This is my sister, Alex. She's more bark than bite. She does bite though. No rabies so far." Alex glared hard at her sister. She grabbed her backpack and headed for the school. "This is my cousin Clark." Clark reached out politely and shook her hand. "Clark, Lena Luthor."

"Nice to meet you Lena. What brings you to Midvale?"

Lena grabbed a pile of notebooks and hut her door. "I got tired of boarding school. Small town life called to me."

"You don't strike me as a small-town girl," Kara responded genuinely.

"No?" Lena smirked. "What kind of girl do I strike you as?" Lena raised an eyebrow, and Kara found herself thrown off.

"Uh, I don't know, not small-town?"

Lena laughed, a deep full-throated sound. "Well, I'm sorry to disappoint, but it looks like I'm small town now. After all, what says small-town girl like being a girl and living in a small town?" The warning bell rang. "Well, nice to meet you Clark. I better get my schedule before I'm late. Good to see you again, Kara." Lena winked and turned away, confidently navigating the crowded parking lot.

"Wow," Clark said. "I never met Lex's little sister. I hope she's nothing like him."

"Yeah, me too," Kara agreed, watching the girl disappear. Kara shook her head and started towards the school with her cousin. "Junior year, here we come." Clark shoved her playfully as their Junior year finally began.

In a town as small as Midvale, the school was even smaller. There were roughly one thousand students in the entire school system and only five hundred high schoolers. That meant there were two things to talk about: sports and the new girl. Everywhere Kara went that morning, she heard about Lena Luthor. Homerooms were arranged in alphabetical order, so Kara sat next to her sister and listened to the gossip before the bell.

_I hear she stabbed a girl._

_I hear she was sent away because she was pregnant._

_I hear her roommate was her lesbian lover._

_No, she was dating her brother._

Kara rolled her eyes, doing her best to avoid the gossip. Lean seemed nice enough to her, and most of the rumors were too fantastic to be true. Kara leaned towards Alex, ignoring the announcements. "You nervous about your game?"

"Are you nervous about yours?"

"Always."

"Well, there's your answer."

Kara leaned back, elbow on her desk, chin on her hand. "You starting?"

Alex scoffed. "I'm captain, of course I'm starting." Alex was almost Kara's height, and as one of the taller and most talented players, she got to play all the way around the court. She was the best blocker, the best hitter, and one of the best back-row players. Kara was pretty sure that if she had the option, Alex would choose to play the entire game by herself.

Kara looked at the set of Alex's jaw. "You're gonna be fine. I recommend you stop being so stressed though. Seeing as it's not even lunch time." Alex balled up a paper and threw it at her sister. The teacher glared at them just as the announcements stopped. Kara and Alex both pointed at the other. Their homeroom teacher was not amused, so when the bell rang they both hurried out.

Kara looked at her schedule and saw she had Trigonometry first period. She groaned. Math was her least favorite subject, and the only class she was guaranteed not to have with Alex or Clark. They were both in Calculus. Alex peeked over Kara's shoulder and laughed. "Have fun sis!"

A pit of dread settled into Kara's stomach as she entered her math class. Every year she went through the same struggle. She took math, she hated math, she barely managed to get C's in math. There was something about numbers and letters and shapes all mixed together that made her struggle. As Kara entered the room, she saw a familiar head of black hair. Kara slid into the seat next to Lena Luthor and looked at the girl with a smug smile on her face. Lena didn't look up from the notebook she was drawing in. "Can I help you, nosy?"

"Oh, just enjoying the view."

Lena looked up, surprised. "Excuse me?"

Kara realized how her words sounded. She leaned back and stuttered a bit. "Um, I just meant, yesterday you implied your smarter than me, and now we're in the same class."

Lena raised an eyebrow again. "Yes, well, that doesn't actually put us on the same level." Lena leaned closer and stage whispered, "I am definitely smarter than you, but some of my credits didn't transfer. What's your excuse?"

"I hate Math."

Lena laughed quietly as their classmates filtered in around them. "So, do you think you're kind of a big deal or something?"

Kara's eyebrows knitted together. "Excuse me?"

Lena eyed Kara, wondering if the blonde was pulling her leg. Class began, and Kara couldn't ask what Lena meant. At the end of class, Lena went to the front of the room to talk to the teacher. Kara ran into Clark in the hallway. "Did you see it?" He asked excitedly.

"See what?"

Clark laughed. "You're gonna be so mad. Come on." Kara followed her cousin to the gym. There she found Alex staring at it.

"What is this?" Across from the cafeteria, lining the previously blank wall that contained the gym, was a huge mural. The football team had taken their promotional photos the previous weekend. They were supposed to go up around town, in the stadium, and on whatever their parents ordered from the photographer. But here, in the middle of the school, was an entire shot of the team. Kara was front and center, hair down and her helmet on her hip. They were wearing their home uniforms in the photos. Their dark blue pants contrasted with their white jersey's and socks. Their red cleats, red accents on their jerseys, and red helmets cast an impressive image against the fake grass and black background. 'Let's go Spartans' was above them in sports script. They were all there, but Kara was a step ahead of everyone else. The team was in an arrow formation. Kara's hands covered her face. "Oh my god, what is this. Who did this. How. No."

"I think you look hot," Alex laughed. Kara looked scandalized, and Alex laughed harder. Kara looked at herself. Her arm muscles stood out. She had her towel tucked into the side of her pants, held up by the belt she was wearing. She looked intensely serious while staring down the camera.

"Oh my god, this is what Lena meant."

"About what?" Clark asked.

"She asked me if I think I'm kind of a big deal." Kara walked towards her next class. "I hate it."

"It's super obnoxious," Alex laughed.

"I think it's sort of cool," Clark shrugged.

"Stop talking about it, for the love of all things holy," Kara growled. She went to her next class and refused to acknowledge anyone.

After practice, Kara took off her pads and left them behind. She and Clark jogged from the practice field into the gym where the varsity volleyball game was beginning. The gym wasn't as packed as it usually was during basketball games, but there was still a good turnout. Alex was warming up. Kara and Clarke stood on the bleachers as Alex did a few warmup serves with her team. Kara started with, "Who are we here for?"

Clarke responded with, "Alex Danvers!"

"Who are we here for?"

"Alex Danvers!"

Together they pumped their hands in the air and yelled, "AD! AD! AD!" Until Alex hit a ball at them in the stands. Clark caught it and tossed it back, and they dropped onto the bleachers in a hysterical fit of laughter. Kara wiped the tears from her eyes and tried to catch her breath.

Clark elbowed her in the side. "Hey, isn't that Lena?" He pointed to the gym door, and Kara jumped up. She jogged over.

"Hey Lena! What are you doing here?"

"I've been informed that there is literally nothing to do in this town if you don't get into sports. So, I was just curious." Kara smiled, and almost invited Lena to join them, until Lena said, "Wow, you smell kind of bad."

Kara sniffed her shirt. Lena wasn't lying. A big smile crossed Kara's face. "Hey, do you know how we make friends here?" Lena looked confused. "With hugs!" Kara threw her arms around Lena. Lena sputtered and tried to push her way out of Kara's strong grip.

"Kara, what the hell? Let go!"

"I can't hear you!" Kara squeezed Lena tighter.

"Please!"

Kara let go of Lena immediately. "All you had to do was say please."

Lena straightened out her hair and shirt that Kara had ruffled. Lena glared at her, and it made Kara smile wider. "You know, I'm already missing boarding school."

"Oh, don't be such a wet blanket. Come on, join us. What do you know about volleyball?" Kara started walking back to the bleachers and realized that Lena wasn't following her. Kara went back, grabbed Lena's hand, and guided her to the bleachers.

Lena sighed and didn't protest. "Nothing, really."

Kara laughed. "Well, you're in for a treat. You are not going to believe Alex on the court."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not.


	3. Chapter 3

On Wednesday Kara sat in her math class, already overwhelmed. There was no reason math should be a requirement to graduate. She didn't deserve this. Kara leaned over towards Lena, "Alright, I have a proposition."

"What could that possibly be, Supergirl?"

Kara rolled her eyes. Lena was not going to let her live that down. "You tutor me in math."

Lena finally looked up from her notebook to look at Kara. "Oh? A proposition usually requires I get something as well. So, I tutor you and I get what?"

"You get my undying friendship."

Lena tapped her chin. "You seem to be overestimating the value I would take in your friendship."

Kara laughed while the teacher prepared the class for their lesson. "I'm smart, funny, athletic, and like, really nice."

"I don't know," Lena hedged.

"I also get free food at most of the restaurants in the city."

Lena leaned back, looking at the ceiling tiles. She knew it would be nice to have Kara as her friend. She was nicer to her than anyone else at the school. Lena would never admit it if anyone asked, but Lex's reputation preceded her. Lena wasn't going to beg for friendship, but she wouldn't object to having someone. "I don't know."

"And," Kara continued, "You'll get to see your new best friend kick butt every Friday night."

"Every Friday?" Lena tapped her chin again, considering her options. "You know, that does seem like a good deal. Having plans every weekend? Maybe." Lena looked back at Kara. "But what's to stop my reputation from being ruined by hanging out with the biggest jock in the school?"

"This." Kara pointed at her smile. Her eyes lit up, and her entire face looked like the sun. Lena felt blinded by Kara's unrestrained happiness. Her stomach fluttered.

"Well, how can I argue with that?" Lena looked back to the front of the room where the teacher was calling the class to attention. "I guess I'll be tutoring you, lug head."

Kara laughed. "That's Super lug head to you, Miss Luthor."

Lena stifled a laugh, pleased with how her day was turning out.

Thursday found Lena and Kara sitting together in the Library during lunch. "What the hell is that?" Kara pointed at a green mess on Lena's plate.

"Are you serious?" Lena opened her textbook to the lesson they were working on.

"I am serious. What is that garbage?" Kara grabbed one of three burgers on her tray and started in on them. Her mouth full, she continued. "Humans aren't supposed to eat like rabbits."

"Kara, it's a salad."

Kara groaned. "Yes, but like, of what? What is that?"

Lena scrunched up her brow. "It's spinach and arugula."

"That is a lettuce I have never even heard of."

"You know Supergirl, if you keep it up, you're going to be so fat one day."

Kara took a bite of her burger and used it to point at Lena. "Today is not that day." Kara set her burger down and leaned on her hand. "Lena?"

"Hm?" Lena murmured as she flipped through the textbook.

"Why are you so grumpy?"

"I'm not grumpy!" Lena said too loudly. The librarian shushed them. Lena's phone buzzed. A text message came up quickly. _Lex: Hey sis, how's my alma mater treating you? _Lena looked at her phone and grimaced at it.

Kara poked Lena in the forehead. "You see! Right there. That's where you keep your grump."

Lena grabbed Kara's wrist. "Keep your hands to yourself!"

Kara shrugged. "In my defense, you're the one with your hands on me." Kara raised an eyebrow at Lena, who released Kara immediately.

"Am I here to tutor you, or what?"

"What happens if I choose 'or what?'" Kara asked with a smirk on her face. "Do I get to choose, or do you have plans?"

"You're insufferable."

"You know, I see you have a phone." Lena rolled her eyes. "I also have a phone."

"So?"

"Phones have numbers, these codes that allow one of these phones to contact another of these phones."

"I am familiar with the concept."

"What do you say that you give me your phone contact code. I will give you my phone contact code. That way, if one of us wants to, say, make plans with the other, we could do that."

Lena's eyes flickered to her phone. "What kind of plans would those be?"

"When people make plans, they tend to hang out, eat food, things like that." Lena looked up quickly, wondering if she was hearing Kara correctly. "Some people call these things….I don't know…what's the word"

"A date?" Lena laughed.

"Miss Luthor, are you asking me on a date? How presumptuous of you! We barely know each other!" Kara winked and Lena rolled her eyes. "Hm. If you asked, _ maybe _ I would say yes."

"Is that so?" Lena looked down at her textbook. "Alright Romeo, we have work to do." Lena spent the rest of the lunch period alternating between eating her salad and explaining terms that Kara should know by now. They worked through half of their homework together. Right before they left Lena made a note in Kara's notebook. It was a quick formula to help her finish the rest of her homework. That night, when Kara looked at the formula, she saw ten digits underneath it. It was Lena's phone number.

Right before bed Thursday night Kara sent a quick text to Lena. _I can't study during lunch tomorrow. I have a team meeting. Our first home game is tomorrow, and I wouldn't mind if you were there. If you want, you can come watch me dominate._

The response came quickly. _You're cocky. I guess I'll be there. _

Kara, Clark, and Winn Schott walked to the center of the field. National City's Adam Grant, Carter Grant, and Ben Lockwood stood on the other side of the center of the field. Kara stood between her teammates, arms folded. Adam and his brother were both 6' 1". They tried to look down at Kara, but the small height difference wasn't enough to intimidate her.

"Shake hands," the head referee said. The players all reached out, shaking hands with one another and the referees. As expected, when Adam shook Kara's hand he tried to crush it. She gave no reaction other than to squeeze back, her icy blue eyes boring into his dark brown ones. He let go as the ref said, "Okay away team, call it in the air." He flipped the coin high in the air. Adam called heads. The coin hit the ground, bounced once, and landed tails side up. The ref pointed at Kara. "Home team, what do you want?"

Kara didn't hesitate. "We want the ball."

The ref nodded, then pointed at Adam. "Away, which direction?"

"We want the wind at our back."

"Okay," the ref nodded. "I want a good clean game and good luck."

The captains split off to head back to their sidelines. The scoreboard reflected the time. 15:00 minutes on the clock. The crowd cheered, screaming at their team, for their team. The stadium was packed. Every bleacher seat was taken. The walkways were crowded, and the overflow from the bleachers leaned against the fence as close to the field as they could get. The cheerleaders were on the track just inside the fence, cheering a 'Go Spartans' red white and blue school colors overwhelmed the area. The student section at the end of the bleachers seemed to have the entire school in it, and it really might have. In the back of the student section, a group of shirtless boys stood on the top row of bleachers. They had each painted their chests white, and on top of the white paint, they each had a deep red letter of Kara's name on their chest. When they stood shoulder to shoulder, DANVERS was standing out, bold enough that she could read it from the sidelines.

Kara took in the chaos around her. She smiled and allowed herself a single moment. She was the starter. She was making history. No female had ever been the starting quarterback before. She could happily feel the winds of change. Kara inhaled a deep breath, exhaled it slowly, emptying her lungs and pushing out her stress. Her eyes turned to steel, molded by fire and ready to crush the opposition.

"Alright boys," Kara began as her team gathered around her. "Tonight we begin. They've doubted us. They've talked us down. Tonight, Midvale will prove that none of that matters. It doesn't matter what they say about any or all of us. There is no 'i' in team. This isn't about you. It isn't about me. This isn't about one. This is about all. A team is only as strong as it's weakest link, and we don't have a weak link!" she spun slowly, delivering her speech and eyeing every boy around her one by one. "Who are we?"

"Spartans!" They yelled back.

"Who are we?" She yelled again.

"Spartans!" They shouted, louder than before.

Kara threw her hand in the air, forming a powerful fist above her head. The team followed suit, reaching up and leaving her under a dome of muscular arms. "On three!" She called. Her heart hammered in her chest. Her blood pounded in her ears. Her breath came quickly, and she could hear the gasps of her teammates. "One, two, three!"

As one, the entire team yelled, "Stronger together!"

The whistle blew, signaling the start of the game. Special teams took the field. National City prepared to kick the ball, and Midvale was ready to catch it and run for their lives. Kara watched the field, the ice of the game running through her veins. The crowd's noise level reached explosive levels as the opposing kicker raised his arm, ready to kick. The crowd got louder, crushing their opponents under a wall of sound. The whistle blew, and the game began. The kick was shorter than expected. The kicker seemed to have been thrown off by the sound of the crowd.

The short kick, followed up by a spectacular run, started the team with the ball on the opponents 30. As Kara prepared to go on the field Coach Queen caught her by her face mask and pulled her close to him. "I know you've got something to prove Danvers, so what do you want now? Play cautious or make a statement?"

"Statement."

Coach rubbed his five o'clock shadow, then smiled. "Philly special. Start this season right." He shoved her towards the field.

Kara jogged to the huddle. She leaned in and shared the play. "Philly, Philly." Some of the boys smiled. They knew this was a bold way to start the season. They clapped together, then broke towards the line. Kara lined up behind the ball, ready to begin. She eyed the countdown clock, then moved sideways away from the ball. She tapped her lineman, and the play began.

The ball was snapped and Kara ambled off to the side of the play. No one watches a quarterback that doesn't have a ball, and this play takes advantage of that. Kara counted to two, then took off down the field. There weren't any defenders on her. Kara looked over her shoulder just in time to see the ball, thrown by Clark, coming towards her.

The ball sailed into Kara's hands. She caught it easily, secured it under her arm, then turned her attention to completing the play. There was only one defender ahead of her who was capable of stopping her. He came in fast, diving just a little too early for Kara's legs. Kara leaped the defender, hurdling him and leaving him face down on the grass. Her cleats hit the ground and she covered the last five yards between the fallen defender and the goal line.

Kara scored the touchdown and the crowd exploded again. The announcer yelled, "And Danvers with the catch for the touchdown! What a way to start her career!" Kara's first play as the starting quarterback had been a touchdown and she hadn't thrown it. She'd caught it. The team surrounded her, slamming her helmet in celebration. They all jogged off the field. Kara kept the ball, then tucked it under the bench. That ball was coming home with her. It was the start of something big. She could feel it.

Lena watched Kara's season opener next to the Danvers and the Kents. She felt distinctly out of place. She'd never been in a situation like this before. Lena wasn't a sports fan. She was into academic decathlons and trivia and science fairs. Those competitions didn't really come with adoring fans and screaming crowds. Alex sat with Lena on one side, and her friend Maggie on the other. Alex kept up a running commentary for Maggie and Lena. Lena wouldn't admit it, but she found it helpful.

At the end of the game, the Spartans won 35 to 13. The team lifted Kara up onto their shoulders. She had caught one touchdown and threw for three others. Kara took off her helmet and looked for her family during the celebration. She saw them from her elevated position. When she finally spotted them she pointed at them and cheered. Lena's heart leaped into her throat as she took in the unbridled joy on Kara's face. Alex through an arm around Lena and Maggie's shoulders. When the crowd broke into a 'Danvers' chant, Lena joined them without reservation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're interested, Google Philadelphia Eagles: Philly Special! That's the play Kara runs. I love it.


	4. Chapter 4

Lena scrolled through the library's database. She was at home, but the Midvale library had finally loaded their old news articles into an online server, which she made short work of. She sprawled across the balcony of the Luthor mansion, trying to find the article she was looking for. It took her about twenty minutes, but there it was:_ Local couple dies in fire, leaving behind two young children. _The two local newspapers, and one that covered the county talked about a quick moving fire that blazed through a small two story, three-bedroom house where young Kara and Clark lived. The smaller paper was the saddest. The fire was the front-page story. In the center was a picture of Kara's parents. Her mother had Clark by the hand, and her father had Kara on his hip. They were all smiling at the camera. The caption read:_ Alura and Zor-El along with their daughter Kara, and their nephew Clark. Photo taken at a picnic two weeks before the accident. The cause of the fire remains unknown._

A sharp knock broke Lena's concentration. She hit a few hotkeys on her keyboard and the library hack ceased. The door to the balcony opened. "Mother," Lena said coldly.

"Lena. How are things?"

"Do you care?"

"No dear, not at all. I just wanted to let you know, your brother sends his love and I'm off to check on our company's holdings overseas. I'll be gone for a while." Lillian's cold demeanor never changed.

"Okay. Any idea when you'll be back?" Lena looked resolutely at her computer. She didn't care for her mother, and her mother didn't care for her. Lena had spent the five years since her father had died living as far from the Luthor home as she could.

"I imagine I'll return when I'm ready. Try not to bring any more shame on the Luthor name while I'm away." Lillian walked back into the mansion. Lena rolled her eyes. She'd be spending more time alone in a house that didn't feel like home with no one but the staff. _Oh well. It's better than being alone with a woman who loathes you. Lena heard the car pull away. She didn't watch it for long. She knew no one was watching her to see if she was waving goodbye._

"Again!" Coach Queen shouted. The rain poured around them. The mud splashed around their cleats. The team lined up again. Kara called for the ball. She dropped back, squinted through the rain, drew her arm back and was drilled into the mud by a defensive lineman. She landed flat on her back, wind whooshing out of her. "Again!" Kara ran the play again, getting the throw off before being drilled into the mud one more time. "Good!" Coach Queen yelled over the sound of the rain. "Hit the locker room!"

Someone reached down and hauled Kara out of the mud. She took off her helmet and let the pouring rain wash the mud away. The team headed to the boy's locker room, and Kara headed for the girl's. She was alone in the locker room, so she took her time changing. Alex was already home, and Clark had left practice early for a doctor's appointment. She changed into a baggy t-shirt and her old gym shorts and sneakers. Once everything was tucked into her bag Kara left the locker room. The boys were gone, and she could hear the coaches talking at the end of the hallway. She hiked her bag up and stepped back into the pouring rain with a smile on her face.

Kara never tired of the rain. It reminded her of her parents. _It had been a beautiful, sunny day at the park when the clouds had rolled in. Alura and Zor-El packed up as fast as they could. Kara and Clark ran for the car only to realize they had locked the keys inside. The whole family stood in the pouring rain laughing. Kara looked up at her parents laughing and kissing in the rain. She loved that. She wanted that one day._

The rain poured down Kara's back. Her ponytail dripped, and she laughed as thunder cracked overhead. Nonetheless, she sped up just a bit, knowing that lightning always led thunder, and lightning wasn't to be messed with. Headlights spilled into the street, illuminating Kara's back. She moved further to the side of the road, getting out of the way. The car caught up to her easily, but it didn't pass. It stopped next to her, and the window rolled down. "Kara?"

Kara looked into the window. Lena was in the car. She looked upset, but she gave Kara a half-hearted smile anyways. "Hey, Lena. How's it going?"

Lena ignored the question. "Why are you walking in the rain?"

"Didn't have a ride after football, don't hate the rain, just because?" Kara offered Lena a small crooked smile. "Do any of these answers do it for you?"

"Get in, idiot." Lena shoved the door open. "Throw your bag in the back."

"You know I'm soaked, right?"

"Get. In."

"Well, aren't you a bossy lady? I guess I do like a woman in charge," Kara grumbled as she threw her bag into the backseat. Kara pulled the door shut behind her. She took her hair down and shook her head like a dog, sending droplets raining down on Lena in the driver's seat.

"Kara, come on!" Lena glared at Kara. Her scowl was met only by Kara's dazzling smile.

"You told me to get in the car," Kara laughed, running her hands through her wet hair before putting it back up in her ponytail.

"I did not tell you to act like a dog." Lena put the car in drive. "Where are we going?"

"Well, I was going home for dinner. Where are you going?"

"Just for a drive. I'll drop you at home. Where is it?"

Kara didn't answer. She paused and took an appraising look at Lena. She saw the redness of her eyes, and the downturned corners of her mouth. She thought about asking Lena what was wrong, but took a different tact instead. "Hey, have you eaten yet?" Lena raised an eyebrow. "Come to dinner! My parents would love to see I have friends who aren't all sweaty boys." Lena didn't answer. "Lena," she whined, "come on. Do you have plans?"

Lena thought about the empty house waiting for her. "I don't know," she hedged. Lena didn't want anyone to pity her.

"You made me get in the car, I'm making you go to dinner. Let's go."

Lena sighed. She was putting up a fight, but a weak one. She didn't really want to go home anyways. "Fine. But if Alex gives me attitude, I'm gonna park in her spot again." Kara laughed hard, one shot burst of sound. She gave Lena directions to her house and they drove slowly, mindful of the rain.

Kara and Lena sprinted onto the porch when they got to the Danvers' home. Lena hustled onto the porch. Kara took her time. She was soaked, so it didn't matter anyway. Kara dropped her bag on the porch and pushed the door open. "Mom, Dad! We've got company!"

"We're in here!" Eliza called from the kitchen.

Kara waved Lena after her. "Hey mom, what's for dinner?" Kara started to reach into the pan.

"Get out of here!" Eliza swatted her away. She finally looked up to see who the mystery company was. "Lena Luthor! I haven't seen you in years!"

"I'm sorry Mrs. Danvers, I-"

Eliza stepped away from the stove and took Lena's hands in her own. "Don't Mrs. Danvers me, it's Eliza!"

Lena gave a small half-hearted smile. "Yes, ma'am. I'm sorry to drop in on you like this, Kara insisted."

"Nonsense!" Eliza swatted Kara with the dishtowel on her shoulder. Kara had been sneaking back to the pan again. "Guests are always welcome, and Kara knows that. Dinner will be ready in about ten minutes. I hope you like stir-fry."

"I love it, thank you so much." Kara smiled happily at Lena from behind her mom's shoulder.

"And you," Eliza turned sharply on her daughter. "Go clean up!" Kara hung her head and started out of the kitchen. Lena looked unsure of what to do, so Eliza caught her attention. "Lena, congratulations, you get to set the table!" She passed Lena a set of plates, and Lena dutifully went into the dining room to set everything where it needed to be.

Kara hurried upstairs into her room. She threw the door open and jumped in, slamming it shut just as fast. "Wow," Alex said mildly from where she was lying on her back and texting on her phone. "You're being real aggressive with that door today."

"Shut up," Kara responded as she stripped off her wet clothes and looked for something clean and dry. She sniffed a t-shirt before throwing it to the side and grabbing another. She pulled on a blue shirt with a red and yellow s-shaped logo. She kicked off her wet shorts from practice and pulled on a cleanish pair of jeans.

"What are you doing? Why are you acting like a psycho?" Kara leaned in front of the mirror and shook out her wet hair. She ran a brush through it quickly. She wondered if she had time for a shower, but without superspeed, it wasn't going to happen. "Kara?" Alex asked, finally rolling over to look at her sister.

Kara decided her hair looked as good as it was going to, then answered her sister. "Lena's here."

"What? Why?"

"She looked sad. I invited her to dinner."

"Like a puppy?"

"No, Alex, like a friend."

"Like a friend, or like a _friend_ friend?" Kara threw her dirty shirt at Alex. "Kara! Ew!" Alex threw it back. "Well, looks like I've gotta go tell Lena you have a crush on her."

Alex made her way to the bedroom door and Kara grabbed her. "Do not do that! I don't have a crush on her!"

Alex paused. "Well, I was kidding, but now I'm not so sure." Kara looked stricken, and Alex laughed at her. "Okay, figure out your emotions."

"I jokingly asked her on a date, sort of."

"What? When?"

Kara shrugged. "When she was tutoring me."

"What'd she say?"

Kara held her hands out, palms up, in an 'I don't know' gesture. "I think she thought it was a joke."

"Was it?"

"Ninety percent." Alex folded her arms. "Seventy-five percent."

"Interesting." Alex smiled. "I asked Maggie out. She said yes."

"Damn it!" Kara stamped her feet. "I owe Clark ten bucks. I bet him that Maggie would ask you first."

Alex punched Kara in the shoulder. "I can't wait for you to tell Mom and Dad you're gay too."

"Shut up!" Kara tried to tackle Alex. "Get over here!" Alex slipped through the bedroom door just as Eliza called up that dinner was ready. Kara threw an arm over Alex's shoulder and a hand over her mouth. "We're coming!" She yelled down. To her sister she said, "Please don't tell! I'll get there!" Alex gave a thumbs up, and Kara finally released her. Alex elbowed her sister in the stomach and hurried down the stairs. Kara followed her as fast as she could.

"We walk in the house!" Jeremiah called from the dining room.

"Yes, dad," Kara and Alex echoed. They entered the dining room to see Lena sitting in Kara's seat. Alex smirked and took her usual seat, leaving Kara to take the empty one next to Lena.

Eliza took the salad and passed it around the table. "So Lena, where have you been all these years?"

Lena put salad on her plate and didn't meet anyone's eyes. "After my dad passed away Lillian sent me to boarding school in Ireland. That's where my birth mom lived, so I had some family out there I could visit."

"We were very sorry about your dad. He was a good boss. Lionel knew every employee's name."

"He was a good dad, too." Lena smiled a small, sad smile.

"What brought you back to Midvale?" Jeremiah asked. "Studying to take over the family business?"

"Oh, no no no." Lena grimaced. "That is not in future, thank goodness. I got tired of boarding school. I wanted to come back to the states. Even before Ireland I was in private schools, and I just wanted to try public school for my last two years of high school."

"Where are you thinking of going to college?" Jeremiah inquired.

Eliza put a gentle hand on Jeremiah's arm. "Honey, we should probably get to the main course before you ask her where she'll be in ten years.

Jeremiah laughed. "I'm sorry Lena. Scientists, you know. We have questions and we want the answers. My bad."

Eliza smiled fondly at her husband. Kara and Alex both gagged. Eliza turned a dagger-like stare on her girls. "Have you sent those college applications out yet?"

Kara and Alex suddenly had mouths too full to talk. Lena smiled, enjoying the caring, light dynamic the Danvers had. She wished she could have this too.

After dinner, Kara stood with Lena on the porch. "Sorry, my family can be really embarrassing."

"No, really, they're nice."

Kara gripped the porch railing and leaned back a bit. "So, you're not gonna park in Alex's spot tomorrow?"

Lena looked out into the darkness. The smell of wet grass wafted to her. She smiled. "I'll think about it. No guarantees though."

"Darn. I was looking forward to it."

Lena smiled again. "I should go."

"Yeah, your mom will probably wonder where you are."

"She won't. Lillian's out of town."

"Oh? For how long?"

Lena shrugged. "A couple months, maybe?"

"What? She just leaves you for months?"

Eliza laughed somewhere inside the house at a joke neither of them could hear. "She doesn't like me that much."

"That's terrible!" Lena shrugged. "No, really. You know, you can always come over here."

"No, I wouldn't do that."

"Lena, did you hear my parents? They love you. I'm definitely going to have to answer questions about why I'm not as put together as Lena Luthor is for the next few weeks."

"That sounds horrid. I'm sorry, really." Lena smirked, and Kara knew she was kidding.

"Yeah, yeah. You're super sorry. I can tell." Kara reached for Lena and pulled her into a tight hug. Lena tensed, surprised by the contact. She relaxed after a moment, sinking into Kara's strong grip. She sighed. It had been a while since anyone had hugged her like this. When Kara let her go, Lena wasn't ready. "Any time you want to come over, just let me know. We would love that."

Lena leaned back, looking at Kara. Kara's eyes flicked to Lena's lips, and Lena's heart skipped a beat. She stepped quickly off the porch. "I gotta go." She smiled shyly as she started towards her go.

"See you tomorrow!" Kara called cheerfully while waving. "Away game this Friday!"

"I wouldn't miss it," Lena called back as she got into the car. She drove home, plagued by blue eyes and a searching gaze, wondering why she'd left so abruptly.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm working on it!

"Bitch," Kara murmured under her breath, hands in her hair as she glared at the table.

"I don't know what about me says I'll tolerate being spoken to in that way, but I won't," Lena said evenly, smiling at her textbook. The smile disappeared when a crumpled ball of paper hit her on the nose. "You're a child," she huffed in response.

"You know I was talking to my homework," Kara said through a smile.

Lena looked up from the note she was writing. "So, you're a child and a lunatic? I wish you'd told me you were crazy before I agreed to tutor you."

"Oh please, you know you benefit from this business transaction." Kara looked back at her homework before giving up and slamming her textbook shut.

"Do I? Please remind me how. Because from what I see, I _have_ to hang out with you and your sister, who is still angry about a parking spot. I _have_ to go to football games. I'm saving _your _grade. Is that everything?" Lena tapped her forehead with her pen. "I think that about covers it."

Kara put a hand on her chest and looked appalled. "I never! First of all, Alex wouldn't be so mad if you hadn't parked in her spot again _this morning._ Second, you enjoyed my last football game. I know it. And third, yeah, you get to hang out with me, but I did tell you if you asked me on a date I would say yes."

"You're joking."

"I never joke about dates." Lena raised an eyebrow at Kara. "If you asked me on a date, I would say yes."

"You know what, Supergirl, I'll consider it."

Kara adopted a look of extreme surprise and faked a southern accent. "You will? Oh Ms. Luthor, that would make me so happy, thank you kindly!"

"And you ruined it. That was fast."

"Oh, come on, that's not fair." Kara looked disappointed. "And stop calling me Supergirl."

Lena smiled at the blonde, appraising her sudden sadness. "First, no. I won't stop. Second, we'll see. I just got here. The last thing I want to do is dive in headfirst when I'm trying to get used to a newish place, you know?" Kara looked at Lena with a wide smile on her face. "What?"

"You said dive in _headfirst._" Kara burst out laughing.

Lena packed up her things and threw them into her bookbag. She spared Kara a withering look before she said, "What am I supposed to do with you?" The bell rang and she started to leave.

Kara called after Lena, "I told you before, I've got a few ideas!" Kara heard one loud laugh escape Lena before the library door shut behind her. Kara rubbed the back of her neck, then swung her backpack over her shoulder, a small smile on her face. The banter with Lena left a warm feeling in her chest that she could get used to.

Lena sat on the bleachers overlooking the football field. She made her way through her homework with ease. Someone plopped down next to her. Lena finished the physics problem she was working on and finally set down her work. She looked over at Alex next to her.

"You parked in my spot. Again."

Lena smiled at Alex. "I almost didn't, but I thought it'd be funny. Is it funny?"

Alex rolled her eyes. "I don't know what passes as funny in some London prep school, but this isn't it." Lena looked at Alex, who smirked and spun her key ring around her finger. "Too bad I keyed your car, huh?"

"You didn't!" Lena said far too loudly.

"I didn't. I might though."

Lena crossed her arms. "You know, I'm starting to think I want to park in a different spot. Maybe one a little more to the left of the one I'm currently in. The sun hits that spot first anyways." Lena packed up her homework and tucked it into her book bag. She looked out over the field where Kara was running passing drills. She was firing off pass after pass to receivers running different routes. Kara was clearly in her element. Every move flowed perfectly. It was like watching a perfectly choreographed dance. After a minute, Lena realized Alex was watching her. Without turning to meet Alex's eyes, she said, "What?"

"Oh, nothing. Don't mind me." Alex laughed, and Lena finally looked at her.

"What, Alex?"

Alex put her hands up, "Dude, chill. It's nothing."

"Sure." The last whistle rang out, and the team huddled, kneeling around the coach. "I was hanging out to save Kara the walk home, but since you're here, I might as well go."

Alex stood, hiking her duffle onto her shoulder. "Please. I can either put my gross, sweaty sister in my car or let you take her in yours? That's a no brainer." Alex started to head down the bleachers. "Enjoy Kara sweat in that nice car of yours!"

Lena rolled her eyes and made her way slowly down the bleachers. She hiked her backpack up higher and watched the huddle break apart. Kara jogged off the field, looking up at the bleachers with a hand shielding her eyes from the sun. When she spotted Lena her face broke into a smile. Kara raised one finger, indicating to Lena that she needed a minute. Lena nodded, then sat on the bottom bleacher. She flipped through her phone, checking Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook. She had notifications from many different people and places. The New York Times was reporting on a technological breakthrough, a storm was rolling through, and she had 3 new friend requests. Lena cleared them while she waited.

"So, are you gonna take me home, or are you going to stare at your phone all night?"

Lena rolled her eyes and looked up at Kara. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did you need a ride home?" Lena put her phone in her pocket and tapped her chin. "It seems that you're not my responsibility. You have a family, a sister. In fact, can't you just walk home from here?"

"Ah. Yes, yes, I can. Okay, see you later." Kara turned around, pads in one hand and her gym bag over her opposite shoulder.

Lena grabbed Kara by the strap of her bag. "You are so dramatic. Let's go."

Kara smiled and threw an arm around Lena. Her bag bounced between them. "Are you coming to dinner? My mom texted me four times today to ask about you. She also wants to know what your favorite vegetable is? Like anyone has a favorite vegetable."

Lena pushed Kara away, escaping from her sweaty arm. "My favorite vegetable is asparagus. Doesn't everyone have a favorite?"

Kara pantomimed throwing up. "I'm sorry, I might toss my cookies. What you just said is disgusting."

"Which part? My, or favorite?"

"No, vegetables and asparagus. That's awful."

"What the-" Lena and Kara finally caught sight of Lena's car. "Are you kidding me?" On Lena's car someone had scrawled, 'I am in love with Kara Danvers.' It wrapped around the windows, was on the windshield and the back window.

"Oh my god," Kara exclaimed, pulling a towel from her bag and scrubbing at the windows. "I didn't do this."

"Of course, you didn't. Lena grit her teeth. "Alex has quite a sense of humor." Lena turned on the car and sprayed windshield washer fluid. "Do you think she knows I can hack into her cell phone and send emails to the whole school?"

Kara stared at Lena through her window. "Can you do that?"

Lena arched an eyebrow. "Of course. Should it say, 'I'm, pregnant' or 'I like girls?'"

"Lena! Neither!" Kara ran a hand through her damp hair. "What's wrong with liking girls?"

"Nothing at all, of course. I figured, an eye for an eye, right?"

"I guess." Kara threw her bag into the backseat. "But Alex does like girls, so maybe don't do that." Kara pulled her glasses from her bag and put them on her face. She adjusted them nervously. "So do I, so maybe don't use that as an insult."

Lena looked at Kara, watching her friend. Her face was unreadable. "Fair. You have to know I'm going to get back at her though. I can reprogram a key fob and move her car down the block."

Kara finally looked up, a smile on her face. "That I would pay to see."

Lena drove the few blocks to Kara's house. Neither of them spoke, and the silence weighed heavy on Lena. As Lena put the car in park, she looked at Kara. "You know I didn't mean anything by it, right?"

"By what?" Kara didn't look at Lena.

"By the email joke. I wouldn't do that." Kara finally met Lena's eyes. Lena gripped the steering wheel. "I was kicked out of my London boarding school. I was in a relationship with a girl there. When administration found out, they expelled me. So obviously, I would never actually out someone or anything." Lena looked down at her hands.

Kara reached out and touched Lena's wrist. "Hey, it's okay. I'm sorry you got kicked out of school. But don't worry, Alex is out to pretty much everyone. Our parents included." Kara ducked her head, trying to meet Lena's eyes. "Does your mom know?"

Lena looked at Kara, a sad smile on her face. "She says it's a disgusting phase and one that I'll grow out of." Kara's eyebrows knitted together, her mouth turned down into a small frown. "Do your parents?"

"Not about me, not yet," Kara shrugged. "I'm not afraid to tell them. I think they'll laugh, honestly. They stopped talking about future husbands when Alex told them she was questioning. Now they talk about our future 'partners,' just to take the pressure off." Kara's eyes lit up. "Wanna come out to my parents? They'll love it."

Lena shrugged. "I don't know that coming out is high on my list of priorities. To your parents or anyone else's. That's why I'm not a huge fan of Alex's message on my car."

"That's okay. I'll tell her to lay off."

"Thanks."

"So, dinner?" Kara asked hopefully. "If you don't come in, I'm going to tell her that Alex upset you, and then she'll ground Alex and that will cause a whole host of problems. I vote that you just come inside."

"When you put it like that, how can I resist?"

At the end of the night, the Danvers and Lena sat in the living room, watching singers attempt to win their way onto a TV show. Alex had claimed the recliner for herself, leaving Lena, Jeremiah, Eliza, and Kara to figure out their seating situation. Jeremiah sat on the right side of the couch, and Eliza had leaned comfortably into him. Kara insisted Lena sit on the left side of the couch.

"I'm not going to make you sit on the floor," Lena had insisted.

"No one makes Supergirl do anything," Kara retorted, hands on her hips and chest puffed out dramatically. "Now sit on the damn couch!"

"Kara! Dish duty tonight!" Eliza had said as a rebuke.

"Oh my god, Lena, sit on the couch before I get in more trouble." Lena gave in and sat on the couch. Kara sat in front of her, leaning against her friend's legs. Kara leaned her head against Lena's knees. Lena pulled at Kara's ponytail, braiding it absentmindedly while they watched TV.

Alex coughed loudly into her hand. It sounded suspiciously like she said, 'Gay!' in the middle. Lena's suspicions were confirmed when Jeremiah threw a pillow squarely at Alex's face. "Dad!" Alex yelled back.

"It slipped," he mumbled while Eliza glared up at him. He kissed her forehead, and Lena looked away like she was intruding on a private moment.

The TV show came back on, and the announcer introduced a young girl. She was 13, and when a judge asked her what she was going to sing, the girl very confidently said, "Feeling good." As soon as the girl opened her mouth, the entire room was filled with surprised gasps. Kara immediately declared that this girl, Carly, was going to win the entire show. The next girl, a 16-year-old named Jenelle, same on and absolutely crushed a song called Paris. Kara then confidently said, "Now, this girl, she's going to win the show."

Alex whipped the pillow at Kara. "They can't all win!"

Kara pulled the pillow into her lap. "Okay, top tens." She leaned her head back and looked up at Lena. "What do you think? Who wins? Carly or Jennel?"

Lena ran her hands through Kara's ponytail, tugging the braid undone. "Carly goes further."

"Jennel goes further," Alex responded without missing a beat.

Kara looked at Alex, then leaned back to look at Lena. She looked at her parents. "You started this," Jeremiah laughed, "we're not helping."

Kara adjusted her glasses and rolled across the floor, jumping to her feet. "Who wants ice cream?"

"You're not getting out of this!" Alex shouted before adding, "Get me mint chocolate chip!"

"I was asking everyone but you!" Kara called back.

In an instant, Alex was on her feet and charging into the kitchen. The sounds of Kara and Alex wrestling could be heard drifting from the kitchen. Something metallic fell onto the floor. The clanging sound echoed. Lena looked at Jeremiah and Eliza. "Should we…" she gestured to the kitchen.

"They'll figure it out." Eliza winked at Lena. "Watch this."

Eliza then looked at Jeremiah, who smiled and shouted, "Girls, the show is back!"

The two of them came charging out of the kitchen. They wrestled for the armchair, and neither of them had ice cream. Alex shoved Kara onto the floor. "Ha!" Alex shouted as the next person came up for tryouts. Breathing hard, Kara crawled back over to lean against Lena's legs again. Lena covered her mouth, trying to keep from laughing too hard at Kara's failure. Lena could get used to this warm, familial feeling.

Friday night Lena was crammed into the student section of the bleachers. Away games were a right of passage, Kara had insisted. That's how Lena found herself shoved against the fence, pinned between James and Alex, with Maggie on Alex's other side. James was leaning into Lena just a little bit too much. He had come back to watch the game, hoping Kara would be able to demolish the Star City Archer's. Coach Queen had graduated from Star City, and now it was his personal vendetta to beat the team, coached by his old teammate Slade. They'd had a falling out, and now they took it out on each other.

Coach Queen stood with his back to the crowd, shouting at his team in the huddle. Lena couldn't make out his words, but James leaned down to whisper to her, "He's basically giving them the Remember the Titans speech."

Lena frowned. "The Gettysburg speech?"

"A couple years ago, the team wasn't meshing well. He made us watch Remember the Titans. Now he gives that speech." James laughed. "It doesn't even matter that it doesn't fit anymore. Everyone still gets pumped up." Like they could hear James, the team launched into a raucous cheer. They shoved each other, they threw on their helmets, and they all did the team cheer. The team and the fan section joined together to cheer, "Stronger together!"

Right before putting on her helmet, Kara looked over the stands, like she was searching for something. Kara caught sight of Lena and pointed at her. Alex shouldered Lena, and James put his fingers in his mouth and whistled as loud as possible. Kara put on her helmet, patted her chest, and turned to run on the field. "You're in trouble, Lena," Alex murmured next to Lena's ear. Lena's cheeks heated up, and she looked away. She looked up one more time, and Saw Kara look her way before the play started.

They won the game, 49 to 9.


	6. Chapter 6

"So where is your mom?" Kara laid on her stomach in her backyard, absorbing one of the last warm days the fall would offer.

_"Lillian," _Lena emphasized from her cross-legged position a few feet from Kara, "Is somewhere where she isn't bothering me."

"Do you not know, or are you just being difficult?"

"I could take a guess at the many places Luthor Corp has holdings. However, I would just rather outline that she isn't bothering me."

Kara nodded, seeming to accept that the topic was closed for discussion. "What do you do when you're home alone all this time?"

"A Luthor is never really alone."

"Why do you say it like that?" Kara propped herself up on her elbows so she could look at Lena. "A Luthor," Kara contorted her face into a sneer. It really was a passable imitation of Lena.

"Have you ever heard someone say nice things about the Luthors?" Lena asked. She often wondered if Kara was pulling her leg.

"My parents say nice things about your company and your family." Kara smirked. "They're also huge fans of yours. I think they're considering trading me in for a Luthor model."

Lena threw her head back and laughed. The sun made her pale skin almost glow. She dropped flat on to the ground, so she was parallel with Kara. "There are always a few good-hearted people who ruin my misery. If they're really fans though, I'll send over the adoption paperwork." Kara smiled down at Lena, who had closed her eyes against the sun. "It's been a while since I've really been alone in the Luthor Mansion. There are maids, and a chef, and a butler. The staff has been there for longer than I can remember." Lena sighed. "I don't do much though. I go home, I do my homework. I read. I also mess with Lex's old chemistry kit. He has an entire room setup like a scene from Breaking Bad."

"That sounds so…" Kara tried to find a nice word and failed, so just said, "boring. That sounds painfully boring."

Lena half shrugged. Kara resisted the urge to pull some grass from Lena's hair. "It is what it is. I didn't choose this life. It chose me. Whatever phrase the kids are saying these days."

"Kids? Lena, you're seventeen."

"Yes."

"You're a kid."

Lena shielded her eyes and glared at Kara. "Is there a point here?"

"I guess not."

"Good. How's your homework coming?"

Kara looked down at the bright blank piece of notebook paper in front of her. "Great. It's great."

"You haven't written down a single thing, have you."

"Not even one number."

"If you keep this up, you'll fail."

"I never fail!"

Lena laughed. "Alex told me you misspelled a word on a spelling test and came home crying."

Kara looked affronted. "Are you two becoming friends?"

"I did two hours in a car with her, Maggie, and James yesterday. I think we can call ourselves friends. Though Alex did say if I show up at another game without football support clothes, she will ban me from the house?" Lena laughed. "She says that if it isn't immediately obvious what school I came to support, then I don't belong at the games."

"I'll kill her." Kara grumbled. "Don't worry. Next week you can wear one of my practice jerseys."

"Isn't that what players girlfriends do?" Lena asked with an eyebrow raised.

Kara leaned over Lena, blocking out the sun. "Well, if you insist," Kara said, flowing up with gross kissy noises.

Lena squealed and pushed Kara away. "Absolutely not! If you keep it up, I'll ask James for his old practice jersey."

Kara rolled over onto her back. "Betrayal! Blasphemy! How could you!" They both burst out in laughter.

"Girls!" Eliza called from the open kitchen window. "If you come put away the dishes, I'll make everybody lunch!"

Kara jumped up and offered Lena her hand. Lena reached for her hand, and Kara pulled back quickly, letting Lena fall back. "Psych!"

"I saw that, Kara! You're putting the dishes away alone!"

"Damn it," Kara grumbled. She pulled Lena up and held the back door open for her, hoping to get back in her mom's good graces.

"That sounds horrible," Andréa Rojas drawled. "You've gone to a football game? Willingly?"

"Two, actually," Lena smiled as she filed the sharp edge of a nail. "I don't know if I like the sport, but the atmosphere is amazing."

"So you happily surround yourself with knuckle-dragging mouth breathers? I don't understand. Good for you though." Andréa sighed. "But really, Lena, how are you?"

Lena paused. She had hoped to not get into it. "I'm doing alright. I haven't heard from her."

"I didn't think you would have." Andréa paused. "Veronica is off the grid, Kieran. No one has heard from her. She's changed her number and all her accounts are dark."

"I know."

"You said you didn't want anything to do with her. Have you been checking up on her?"

"I couldn't resist."

"Oh hun," Lena couldn't stand the sad tone in Andréa's voice. "Are you doing okay?"

"Well, let's see." Lena counted on her fingers, even though she couldn't be seen. "I lost my girlfriend, I lost my school, I was sent to where the only parental figure I have hates me and enrolled in a school where my older brother used to torment everyone. I guess you could say I'm doing just fine."

Andréa laughed. "I'm glad to see you haven't lost your sense of humour."

"I've made friends here, believe it or not."

"Have I been replaced?"

"Not yet, but you might have to fight that out with Kara."

"What?" Lena could hear Andréa typing furiously through the phone. "Kara Danvers, seventeen, starting quarterback for the Midvale High Spartans, wears number 9?"

"What the hell?"

"You know I am a wizard with the internet. You follow her on Twitter and she's the only Kara at that tiny school." Andréa hummed to herself. "Mmm, I can see why you're suddenly interested in football. A female quarterback, dear Jesus. Can I have her number?"

"No!" Lena said too quickly and too loudly.

"Lena Luthor, tell me everything!" When Lena didn't say anything, Andréa continued. "Come on! Give me details! Is she gay, is she single, is she interested in you?"

"Oh my god Rojas, chill. Yes, yes, and maybe?"

"Find out! Seriously! I need to know!"

"You can't have her. I refuse to let you add her to your never ending list of heartbroken exes."

"I wouldn't break her heart. I might break her back."

Lena gagged. "Okay, that's enough. Isn't it like two am?"

"It is, but we're just getting to the good part!"

"You can't have any part. Good night!"

"Night Lena! Tell me more about Kara tomorrow!" Lena hung up the phone quickly, her cheeks burning bright red. Her phone buzzed, and she saw that Andréa had sent her a photo of Kara. It was a picture of Kara and Clark in a gym somewhere, sparring. The photo was taken from the side, so you could see each of them equally. Clark had clearly just been hit and was reeling back from the impact. Kara had her front foot planted, her punching arm extended, and her guard arm protecting her face. She wore nothing but a sports bra and a pair of gym shorts. Her every muscle seemed to be flexed, from forearm down to her legs. Her face looked determined, her mouth set around a slightly protruding mouthguard. She looked fierce. The message accompanying simply said, 'Oh my god, if you don't claim her, I will come to America and steal her for myself.'

Lena refused to answer. She turned her phone off and laid down, staring at nothing while she waited for it to be an appropriate time to go to sleep.

Lena woke up, startled. It was so dark in her room she couldn't see anything except the glowing blue numbers on her alarm clock. 1:03. What could have woken her up? Lena froze as her bed sunk down with the weight of a body.

"Sorry," a quiet voice murmured. "I didn't mean to wake you up. Had to go to the bathroom." Lena rolled over, trying to make out who was behind her in the darkness. Her eyes adjusted, and she could see who was lying next to her. Lena didn't know what expression was on her face, but it must have been concerning. "You okay? Did I scare you?"

"No, no. Everything is fine."

"Good," Kara murmured. She tucked Lena's hair behind her ear and kissed her, short and sweet. "I'm glad." Kara laid on her back and opened her arms, offering for Lena to come closer. Lena did, and Kara squeezed her gently. "I'm so happy you moved here. You make me so happy."

Kara kissed Lena's head, and Lena murmured in response, "You make me happy, too."

Lena's alarm went off at ten am, and she awoke with a start. She looked around and saw that Kara wasn't there, and never had been. "Fuck you, Andréa, this is your fault." She threw off her comforter and stormed into the bathroom. "Fuck," she murmured again. "This isn't good."


	7. Chapter 7

Kara sat on the flat of the picnic table, watching the man questioning her and trying not to sneer at him. He repeated the question. "What do you think you'll do after college? Kids, family? Career? Think you can have it all?"

Kara ran a hair through her long blonde hair. She tried not to snap at the man, but he was making it more and more difficult. Kara had been selected as Athlete of the Week after an astounding performance against the Archers. She had always wanted to be named athlete of the week, but this reporter made it very clear that when he signed up to interview football players, he hadn't wanted to interview girls. The more that he questioned her, the more Kara's blood pressure boiled. So far he had asked her a series of demeaning questions, including, 'Why not play volleyball, like your sister? Do you think football is safe for you, ponytail?' and 'Have you tried to date any of the boys on your team yet? Have they tried to date you?' Kara reached the end of her patience. "I'm sorry, I need to make a quick phone call."

Kara dialed up the number and waited through the menu. The phone rang a few times before a soft over-worked voice said, "Cat Grant's office."

"Hello, this is Kara Danvers. May I speak to Cat Grant?"

"Hold, please."

Cat's sharp voice followed a click on the line. "Ms. Danvers, if you're calling to gloat, I can tell you now is not the time."

"Hello, Ms. Grant. I would never."

"Well then, this is the perfect time. What can I do for you?"

"I'm here with a Mr. Carr."

"Ah, I am familiar with him. A reporter from the Midvale Prophet, subsidiary of CatCo?"

"That's the one." Karta watched the color drain from Snapper's face. "I've been chosen as athlete of the week by the Prophet, and Mr. Carr has made it quite clear to me that he doesn't think a woman should be playing football."

"Kara, give Mr. Carr the phone."

Kara handed her cell phone over and watched Snapper's face turn the color of porridge. The conversation was two minutes of 'yes ma'am's' and 'no ma'ams.' Finally, he said, "Thank you, Ms. Grant, have a lovely day."

He handed the phone back to Kara. "Kara?"

"Yes, Ms. Grant?"

"Before Mr. Carr leaves you, he will be apologizing. As the owner of CatCo, I would also like to apologize. The Prophet will be sending you a new reporter, and your interview will still make Wednesday publication. Thank you for calling me."

"Thank you, Ms. Grant."

"And Kara?"

"Yes MS. Grant?"

"I hate to admit it, but you are playing a hell of a game right now. Keep it up."

"Thank you, Ms. Grant."

"Don't tell my boys, but I'm rooting for you all the way."

"Thank you, Ms. Grant."

"If you're going to call me to have me do your evil bidding, you might as well call me Cat."

"Yes, Ms. Grant."

Cat laughed. "Okay Kara, goodbye." Cat hung up.

Snapper cleared his throat and stood up. "I am sorry for my attitude, Kara. I did not mean to force my outdated ideals onto you. I will make sure someone who is better suited to speak to a girl of your stamina will be here after school. Thank you for your patience with me. Have a nice day." Snapper finished his stiff apology and stormed off. Kara rolled her eyes. Maybe one day she could be a reporter and do a better job than that man. Kara paused. The idea had never occurred to her, but she wasn't opposed to it. There is a life after football. She decided to think about that later.

"Hey lesbians," Winn said casually as he dropped into the seat next to Alex in the library. Kara, Lena, Alex and Maggie all stared him down. James laughed too loud, and the librarian waved for him to come up to the check out desk. She was probably going to yell at him for being in the library even though he'd graduated. "Jimmy's busted!" Winn stage whispered. He kicked his shoes up on James' empty seat. "So, what is this I hear about you shaming Snapper Carr? You called Cat Grant? _The_ Cat Grant?"

"Well, I actually called her office."

"How did you know she would answer you?" Lena asked incredulously.

"I didn't. I just hoped and prayed she'd answer if she heard it was me."

"And then she complimented you?" Alex asked. She put her hand on the table, accidentally brushing Maggie's. They both blushed. Kara tried not to laugh at them.

"She told me she's rooting for me, so that's like a compliment?"

"That is THE compliment!" Clark said as he came around the stacks with a novel. "I don't think Cat Grant compliments anyone. Remember what she said in that interview when they asked her if why she was taking a sit-down meeting with the vice president?"

Together, Clark and Kara said, "Well, like taxes, aging, and participating in Martha Stewart's annual secret Santa, it's just something I have to do."

"That is terrifying," Lena deadpanned.

"They do it all the time. It's gross," Alex said while rolling her eyes. "I swear, it's like I'm the cousin and Clark is the sister."

"I'd make a great sister," Clark laughed, unbothered. James came back and shoved Winn's feet to the ground before he dropped into the seat next to Lena. He sat a little too close to her, and she scooted a little farther from him and a little closer to Kara. His bright smile made it clear he wasn't in trouble.

"What'd she say?" Winn stage whispered.

"She asked what I'm doing here, why I'm not at my own school, and why I still can't be quiet in the library." James laughed behind his hand. "I told her that I don't have any other friends, I'm on fall break, and that my mouth is too big to be quiet."

"You're not on fall break, are you?" Lena asked.

"Nope." He smiled at the librarian over his shoulder and turned back. "She also said that it's been three months since she last saw me, and I have gotten no better at lying."

The whole table tried to stifle their laughs and failed. "Last warning!" Echoed over from behind the tall desk. They shushed each other. Lena's phone buzzed on the desk. She looked at it before quickly and expressionlessly silencing it. Kara looked at Lena, and before she could ask Lena mouthed, 'Later.' Alex watched the interaction and said nothing.

James looked around, then said in his best stage whisper, "So Lena, how is Lex doing?"

Lena sat up straight and offered James a one-shoulder shrug. "I don't know. I don't really talk to him."

Kara looked at the rough set of Lena's jaw. "Why not? He's your brother."

"He has some ideas I don't like or appreciate."

Winn cleared his throat. Lena didn't offer anything else, and no one knew what to say. "So," Maggie began, "I'm willing to bet fifty bucks you guys lose to Bloodhaven this week." The ensuing argument was so loud they were kicked out of the library. Lena was glad for the distraction, but disappointed to have to find a new place to hang out.

Lena waited on the hood of her car for Kara and Clark to finish practice. Lena was steadily spending more time at sporting events and practices than she was alone at home, and she wouldn't complain about the change. She leaned on her Mustang and scrolled through her phone. Andrea's Instagram was a collection of the years they'd spent together during boarding school. She focused on one picture in particular: it was a shot of Andrea, Veronica, and Lena. It was from two weeks before Lena was told to leave boarding school. Veronica and Andrea smiled at the camera, their arms around each other's shoulders. Lena and Veronica were holding hands, and Lena had a smile on her face she hadn't seen in months. She was looking up at Veronica. Lena had been so in love with Veronica. She still felt the sting of having the rug pulled out from under her.

"Hey," a deep voice said from Lena's right. She quickly slid her phone into her jacket pocket and gave James a tentative smile.

"Hey, Jimmy. How are you?"

He put his palm on the hood of the Mustang and leaned closer to Lena's level. "I'm good." Jimmy put his free hand on the back of his neck, and Lena knew what was coming next. "Would you like to go grab dinner with me? I'm only in town the next couple of days, but I'd like to spend some time with you. I haven't seen you in a few years."

Lena shaded her eyes as she looked up at him. "I'm sorry, Jimmy. I just got out of a long relationship, and I'm not trying to get into another one."

James nodded. "That's cool, I understand." He stood up straight, then looked down at the handprint he'd left on the car. "Damn it!" He squatted down by the car and used his shirt to wipe off the handprint. "Sorry!" Lena went into the car and pulled a soft cloth from her glovebox. She threw it at James, aiming for his face. He caught it before it could hit him, then wiped the rest of the handprint off until the paint shone again. He tossed it back and she locked it back up. "So, you just keep a cloth in there in case your car gets dirty?"

"Shut. Up. Jimmy." A whistle sounded in the distance as Lena went back to lean on her Mustang again. "Why are you hanging around?"

James pulled a small digital camera from his jacket pocket and pointed it at the horizon. "I miss it." James took a few shots at different angles. "I've been here my whole life, you know?" James turned and took more photos of other random objects. "I'm only an hour away, but it feels like a different world. I'm having a rough time, so I blew off a week to come home." James tucked the camera away and smiled at Lena. "How about you, are you glad to be home?"

Lena shrugged. "This has never been home, Jimmy." James frowned. "Seriously, I spent very little time here. You know that."

"I know, but you and Lex were so close." James shrugged. "If this isn't home, where is?"

Lena shrugged and frowned. She looked at her Converse and tapped her foot a few times. James' words echoed in her head.

_If this isn't home, where is?_

Cleats started traipsing across the parking lot, making a distinctive sound as spikes hit the pavement. Lena looked up from the ground and saw Kara approaching. Clark followed her, but all Lena saw was the smile on Kara's face when she saw Lena waiting for her. It seemed like the smile dimmed a bit when she saw how close James and Lena were standing, but Lena wasn't sure. "How'd it go?" Lena asked Kara.

Clark shoved Kara forward. "Superstar here threw accurately from sixty yards! It was amazing!"

Kara smiled and shrugged. "We work hard. It was great." Lena popped the trunk so Kara and Clark could put their gear in. "Ready to head home for dinner?" Lena felt her heart swell at Kara's casual invitation, and James' words echoed again._ If this isn't home, where is?_

"Of course I'm ready, I've been waiting on you!"

Kara slammed the trunk shut as Clark clambered into the back. "Wanna come to dinner?"

James shook his head. "I told mom and Kelly we'd do dinner tonight. Raincheck?"

The group said their goodbyes and split up. Kara stopped by the Kents', leaving Clark in his driveway while his mother waved to them. Lena and Kara made small talk until Lena parked behind Alex. When Kara threw open the front door she yelled, "Mom, we're home!"

Eliza greeted them happily and invited Lena into the kitchen while Kara hurried upstairs to change. Eliza put an arm around Lena, giving her a side hug and welcoming her like this was her real home, and Lena wondered if she needed to rethink her response to James' question. Maybe it wasn't that _Midvale_ wasn't her home, it was that the _Luthor Mansion _wasn't her home. Lena smiled when Eliza gave her a task to help prepare dinner.

She ignored her cell phone as it rang in her bag.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was really feeling some happy after this week's Supergirl, so here's some fun.

"How do I look?" Kara asked Lena as she got out of Alex's car. Lena inhaled sharply. She might die. She had missed school the Friday before, simply because she'd felt like it. She had attended the game, but there seemed to be a tradition Lena was unaware of. Kara was wearing a suit.

"You look…" Lena inhaled. "Wow. You look wow." She looked Kara up and down. Kara's suit was a classic black, tailored perfectly to her body. She adjusted her glasses and squirmed under the attention. Her hair was swept to one side, falling in gentle curls over her right shoulder. A red pocket square was folded perfectly and peeked out of her jacket pocket. It matched her tie, which was thin, red, and patterned with yellow lightning bolts. "What's all this for?"

"Every away game we have to dress up." Clark walked around the car and joined Kara, wearing the exact same outfit, even down to the tie and pocket square.

"How do we look?" Clark asked, an easy smile on his face.

"You two clean up nice. I never would have believed it." Lena reached out to straighten Kara's tie, which was slowly drifting to the right. "There. Perfect."

"Get a room!" Alex yelled over the top of the car.

"If we get a room it's gonna be your room! Think about that!" Lena called back.

"That's disgusting."

Lena looked up at Kara and realized she was still standing too close to her. She took a quick step back as her cheeks heated up. "So, where's the game today?"

"Central City. We're gonna crush the Bolts."

"Bolts?"

"Yeah, like lightning bolts. I don't know, I didn't name them."

"That explains the tie," Lena mused as they all picked their way around cars through the parking lot. Alex remained a few steps ahead of the group, head on a swivel as she looked for Maggie.

Kara patted her tie. "Yeah, Coach Queen buys us ties that match the away teams somehow. You should have seen us last week. The ties were green and they had little arrows on them!"

"Your Coach forced you to wear a suit?"

Kara scrunched up her nose. "No, he's not a barbarian. He told me I could either wear a suit or a 'female equivalent.'"

"So he's awkward."

"Sometimes. Plus," Kara spun around, "I look good in a suit."

"Yeah, you do." Kara fidgeted with her sleeves, making sure they were still even. "So, Central City tonight?"

"Yeah! We're chartering a bus out. You coming? I know it's a two-hour drive, but Alex and Jimmy are road tripping out." Kara smiled down at Lena. "Plus, I think you might be my good luck charm."

"Well, when you put it like that, how can I argue?"

Alex threw the school door open ahead of them. Kara caught it and held it open for Lena. "That's what I like to hear!"

As soon as school ended Lena, Alex, Maggie and James piled into Lena's Mustang. She was the only one with a car that no one felt ashamed to be seen in, (James' truck had a quarter panel rusted off, Maggie drove the family van, and Alex's car needed an oil change, so no one trusted it). James shoved all the things they needed for the game into the trunk, then called shotgun and sat sideways so he could talk to the entire car.

"Buckle up, you rock!" Alex yelled from the back seat.

James ignored her and snapped a photo of Maggie and Alex sticking their tongues out at him. Lena glared at him, and he took a photo of her too. "Jimmy, if you don't buckle up, I'm not turning this car on." James buckled the seatbelt then put the chest strap behind him. Lena grumbled. "I'll accept it."

"Let's go, Luthor!" Maggie called from the back seat. "Put it in drive!"

"Jimmy, if you go through the windshield, I swear I will bring you back just to kill you and make you clean up the mess."

"Noted!" James turned the camera on Lena again. "So Lena, tell me what we're doing."

"What are you doing?"

"Filming you! Where are we going?"

"We're going to Central City to watch the Spartans crush the Bolts. Also, Bolts is a stupid name."

James laughed behind the camera. "Who's your favorite player, Lena Luthor?"

Lena blushed and flipped James off. "Get this camera out of my face."

James laughed again and turned to the back seat. "Alex Danvers, who is your favorite Spartan?"

"Winn, obviously. He's the only one on the team with any talent."

James narrated, "And here we have Alex Danvers in her natural habitat, snubbing her sister and her cousin for fun. What about you Maggie?"

"Obviously, Clark is my favorite. He's got those big broad shoulders." Alex shoved Maggie away from her, hard. "And obviously, Lena's favorite player is Kara."

"If you don't pipe down," James turned the camera to record Lena yelling at them, "I will turn this car around!"

Together, James, Lena and Maggie all said, "Sorry mom!" The car erupted into giggles, and James continued trying to interview his friends. He asked them any question that came to mind until Lena told him if he didn't turn it off she was going to use her ejector seat to kick him out of the car. He didn't think she had one, but he still turned off the camera and put it away.

"Is that their bus?" Lena asked as they pulled up on a chartered bus. They had left thirty minutes after the football team, so it shouldn't have been possible. Lena pulled up next to the bus and saw some of the football players talking to each other.

"Damn Lena, you must have been driving crazy fast." Lena looked down. She was only going fifteen over the speed limit. Most cops wouldn't pull her over on the highway for that. "There they are!"

James opened the sunroof and leaned out of it, shouting, "GO SPARTANS" as loud as he could.

"Jimmy get your ass in the car!" Lena spared a quick glance at the bus. She could see some of the players waving and laughing. She caught sight of Kara watching them worriedly. Alex rolled down her window and she and Maggie leaned out it, shouting loudly and trying to touch the bus.

Lena grabbed James by his jean pocket and yanked him down. He scrambled to pull out his camera again and started recording. "And here we see wild Spartans on the hunt, traveling to find their next prey. "Go Spartans Go!"

"You're all gonna get yourselves killed!" Lena yelled at her rowdy passengers. She hit the window lock and started closing them all. "Jimmy, bring that camera back in this car before you lose it! I'm closing the sunroof!"

He yelped as the sunroof started closing while his hand was still out. He pulled his camera in just in time, looking over it to make sure it hadn't gotten scratched. "That was close."

"You are all a bunch of animals, I swear." Lena kept going until they were well ahead of the bus. "We're just lucky we didn't get pulled over. If I disappear after the game it's because I was too embarrassed to be seen with you again."

"Oh, please. Hit the gas. If we beat them to the stadium, I've got a plan!" James' excitement was palpable. IT almost convinced Lena to go a little faster, until Alex screamed from the back of the car.

"Lena, if you go any faster, we're all going to get pulled over and arrested and then Maggie and I are never going to be cops and I'll either kill you or haunt you."

"I mean, if we get arrested, I can probably just pay them to let me go. So, if you don't all behave, I will speed, and I will get us in jail." Lena looked up to watch Alex in the rearview mirror. She pretended to zip her lips and throw away the key.

Lena found out exactly what James had put in the trunk. They did beat the bus to Central City, and all her passengers scrambled to the trunk and yelled at her to open it. When Lena popped the trunk, she saw what they had hidden: Makeshift shields. There were four aluminum shields with Spartan logos on them. "What are we doing with these?"

Alex grabbed one and shoved it into Lena's arms. "They just came in. Strap it on!"

Lena slid her arm into the straps behind the shield. She Velcro'd them tight around her forearm. "You're gonna love this," Maggie reassured her.

When the bus pulled up and a team full of players in suits poured out they were met by a large crowd fronted by Lena, Maggie, James and Alex. The crowd split in half. As the team walked by the crowd pounded on their shields. Everyone had one. The Spartan supporters yelled, "This is Sparta!" As the team filed into the football complex everyone stood at attention, shields directly in front of them. Kara smiled at Lena as she passed by. Her tie was still as straight as it had been this morning after Lena fixed it. Lena winked at Kara and watched as the quarterback tripped over her feet. Maggie elbowed Lena.

The game came down to the last four minutes of the fourth quarter. The Spartans were down by four points, and the Bolts had the ball on the twenty-yard line. Alex gave Lena a running commentary, making sure she was keeping up. Lena had been studying the sport, learning rules and positions in her free time, but she appreciated the help. The Bolts quarterback, Wally West, dropped back and searched for a receiver. It felt to Lena like the entire school was here, slamming their open palms into their makeshift shields. J'onn, a Spartan lineman pushed through and slammed into Wally, knocking him into the ground for a loss of yards. Backed up to the twenty-five, the Bolts lined up again. The Spartans fan section started pounding on their shields again, yelling at the top of their lungs and stomping their feet. The noise was deafening. Lena could feel her eardrums pounding and her heartbeat racing. She watched the field, anxiety flooding through her.

The Bolts' center snapped the ball, and it glided into Wally's hands. A Spartans player, Otis Graves, smashed through the line and charged full speed at Wally. Wally threw the ball as fast as he could, launching it for the endzone before getting smashed into the ground. The crowd went quiet. It felt like the ball hung in the air forever as it glided toward the end zone. A collective breath was being held…and then Winn Schott came down with the interception in the end zone. The Bolts' crowd groaned, but Lena could only hear the cheering of the Spartans' fans as some of them slammed their shields together in celebration. James wrapped his arms around all three girls and crushed them to him, shouting in Lena's ear. Maggie shoved him away, shouting, "It's not over yet!"

Maggie was right. The team only celebrated on the field for a few moments, then the Spartans' offense rushed out onto the field. The clock read 3:22, and the Spartans had to score a touchdown to win. Kara stayed on the sidelines, Coach Queen yelling directions to her through her facemask. Kara jogged out to the huddle, directed her team, and they all lined up. They were on the 20-yard line after the interception in the endzone, and they had less than three and a half minutes to go eighty yards. Only a touchdown would win the game.

"Kara lives for this," Alex shouted to Lena. "Just watch."

Before they snapped the ball, a chant came up from the Spartans. "KD! KD! KD!" with each letter yelled punctuated by a slap of the shield. Kara lined up behind her center, tapped her chest, and pointed at the sky before finally squatting and beginning the count. Otis snapped the ball and the play began.

Lena had never seen anything quite like it. Kara was a fantastic player and had definitely earned the player of the week honor, but this was different. Kara was infallible. On the first play her offensive line was shamed by the Bolts. A Bolt broke through and came around Kara's blindside. Lena braced herself to see Kara get sacked for the first time that season, but Kara surprised her. Almost as if Kara had a sixth sense, just before the massive lineman got to her Kara ducked and flipped the huge boy over her. She turned and ran, gaining eight yards instead of losing six, before she was finally brought down in bounds. The clock kept running, and Coach Queen could be heard yelling unintelligible words on the sideline.

The Spartans hurried to line up again, and Kara snapped the ball so fast Lena barely knew the play had begun. Clark took off down the left side of the field, and Kara threw him a quick pass. He ran out of bounds at the forty, stopping the clock at 2:57. The Spartans ran a few unsuccessful plays, gaining one yard and losing four back to back. By fourth down, Lena knew they were in trouble. "Come on, Kara!" Lena shouted, joining the chorus of shouts around her.

"Get them, KD!" Maggie shouted.

James cupped his hands around his mouth and led a new cheer. "Supergirl! Supergirl!" The entire Spartan's side of the stadium joined in. Otis snapped the ball, Kara took it, dropped back, looked around, and realized she didn't have any open receivers. Kara took off at full speed, running left around the line. She was two yards from the first down when one of the Bolts dove for her knees. She tried to hurdle him, but he caught her legs and sent her flipping over them. Kara got the first down but hit the ground hard. There was a sharp gasp from the Spartans, but Kara didn't miss a beat. She jumped up immediately, ready to continue.

The team was unphased. They lined up again, on the Bolts 48-yard line. They had less than fifty yards to go to get a touchdown, and Kara was on fire. Otis snapped the ball again, and this time Kara had no problem sending a short pass to Winn, who was tackled on the thirty-yard line after managing to run for an extra ten yards. The two-minute warning sounded, and the teams took their water break. With two minutes left they only had to go thirty yards. Lena could feel it in her bones: Kara was going to pull off this comeback.

As they got closer to the endzone, there was no space for throwing. The Spartans ran short running play after short running play, but again it was fourth down. Kara's frustration was obvious, even from the stands. Clark slapped her helmet, trying to calm her down. She shook him off as she got in position, looking at the clock one last time. They had twelve seconds left. Otis snapped the ball. Kara drew back and seemed to spend an impossibly long time with the ball. When there were six seconds left, she sent the ball into the air, a bullet for Clark on the four yard line. The Bolts quarterback slammed Clark into the ground before the ball arrived and managed to bring it down for himself.

A cheer erupted from the Bolts' stands as Lena's heart fell into her feet. The Spartans groaned. The game was as good as over. James shouted in surprise. "Look, a flag!" Lena looked up from the ground and she could see it. Across the field, a little yellow piece of cloth was on the grass. The referee couldn't be heard over the sound of the crowd, so Lena just watched him gesture. The Spartans cheered again, and the Bolts' head coach threw his hat on the ground and screamed at the referee.

"What happened?" Lena shouted to no one in particular.

"Pass interference!" Someone she didn't recognize yelled back. "It's our ball on the four-yard line!"

Lena yelled in elation. They still had a chance! Coach Queen signaled for his final time out, and the teams went to their sidelines. Kara and Queen were shouted at each other across the huddle. It looked like he seemed to be telling Kara no, but she refused to listen. When the whistle sounded to signal the end of the timeout, the team trotted back to the line and took up a formation Lena had never seen before. Both Kara and Mon-El, the backup quarterback, were lined up on the field, Kara to the left of Otis and Mon-El to the right. A smaller boy, maybe a running back, was crouched sideways behind Otis, invisible to the opposing team.

"What are they doing?" Lena asked.

"It's a trick play! Watch!" Alex yelled back.

Otis snapped the ball, and both Kara and Mon-El dropped back looking for a receiver to pass it to. The wide receivers took off into the end zone, and both Kara and Mon-El were tackled on either side of the field. Suddenly, Lena realized that neither of them had the football. The O-Line shoved forward, and Lena realized what happened. The smaller boy, a freshman running back, had been given the ball directly. He followed in the shadow of his linemen, who shoved what was left of the Bolt's D-Line forward until he was in the endzone. A cheer erupted; They had won! "Manchester scored!" James yelled. "Manchester scored!"

The bleachers very abruptly emptied as the crowd charged onto the field. Lena followed her friends, not sure why they were doing this but not wanting to be left behind. Manchester was above the field, raised onto his teammates' shoulders while they shouted his name. Everyone surrounded the Spartans, yelling and hitting their shields. When Lena was close enough, she threw her arms around Kara's shoulders. Kara wrapped her arms around Lena's waist and spun her around. "That was amazing!" Lena yelled over the noise of the crowd as Kara put her back on the ground.

"You wore it!" Kara yelled back, gesturing to the number nine practice jersey Lena was wearing over her hoodie.

"Of course I did!"

James appeared next to them and shoved Kara and Lena closer to each other again. "Picture time!" He pointed the camera at them as Kara put a sweaty arm around Lena's shoulder. Lena grabbed Kara's waist and leaned heavily into her, smiling happily as she did so.

In the back of her mind, she thought about how anywhere she was with Kara was really starting to feel like home to her.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am struggling to write. My apologies. I hope this is enough to hold you over while I work on improving!

That Monday the sports section in the local paper had a photo of Manchester Black on the shoulders of his teammates, hoisted high above the crowd. In the background, on the fringes of the image, Lena was leaning tucked into Kara, her arm gripping the quarterback's hip while Kara's arm over Lena's shoulder held her close. They were beaming at Jimmy out of the frame, and the whole photo showed Lena looking happier than she had in years. Lena hadn't intended to check it, but Kara had sent her the image with a 'look how cute we look' text, and Lena had to admit, they did look adorable.

Kara waited for Lena outside of her homeroom. "Do you read the newspaper every day to see if you're in it?"

Kara stole Lena's books and held them under her arm. "You're not going to believe this, but Eliza is a scrapbook mom." Lena gasped. "I know! She scrapbooks everything we do. She's on book four or five for me and six or seven for Alex." Kara smiled down at Lena. "I honestly think her number one regret in life is most of my baby pictures can't be recovered. My books start on my adoption day."

"That is so sweet."

"Don't say that, because she'll start one for you too." Kara threw an arm around Lena, holding the books tightly under one arm and Lena under the other. "You know what, I'm gonna tell her!" Lena rolled her eyes, but secretly she thought that sounded amazing. She would love a gift like that.

Lena pushed out from under Kara outside their math class. "Okay you ham, give me my books."

Kara bowed and offered Lena her books. "M'lady."

Lena slapped Kara's arm and took her books. "Dork."

Lena opened the door and Kara slid in it in front of her, laughing at her friend.

"Mom!"

"Daughter!" Eliza shouted from the back of the house.

"Marco!" Kara yelled again.

"Polo!" Kara followed the sound of her mother's voice.

"You said goodbye!"

"And I say hello!" Eliza laughed as Kara threw her arms around her neck. "Hello dear, why are you shouting?"

"You know how you like scrapbooking?"

Eliza spun her chair around. "Yes, I know how I love scrapbooking. Why?"

"Would you want to make an extra scrapbook for a friend of mine?"

Eliza folded her hands in her lap. "Kara, I would love to make Lena a scrapbook."

"I didn't-what-maybe it's for…" She trailed off while her mom just watched her. "Okay, yeah, its for Lena. I don't think Mrs. Luthor is at all nice to her, so I thought she'd appreciate one from you?"

"That sounds like a brilliant idea. Eliza spun back around and listed some items on a notepad. "Where are we going to get pictures for her?"

"James has been around a lot with that camera of his. There are a few dances coming up."

Eliza didn't turn around. She asked Kara, with a soft smile on her face, "How can you be sure Lena will go to the dances? She is new here."

Kara furrowed her brow and looked at the floor. "Good point. I don't know yet. I'll figure it out. Thanks mom!" Kara threw her arms around Eliza again and hurried out of the room. Kara was up the stairs and almost in her room before an idea occurred to her.

Kara had started to think that the Spartans were invincible. They weren't. The bus ride to the Gotham Gators had been an uneventful one. The day leading up to the game had been uneventful. In fact, the entire week leading up had been unremarkable, and maybe that should have tipped the Spartans off. Kara watched her team fall behind, one touchdown after another. They missed extra points, field goals, and on the last drive she fumbled the ball. They went home at the end of the night, the sting of a 35-18 loss burning behind Kara's eyes and in the back of her throat. The team gathered in their endzone, ignoring the winning team as they skipped by them, L's held on their foreheads. Some of them pointed at Kara. Some of the boys laughed and pretended to cry. Kara inhaled a weighty breath. She would not cry in front of them. She would not cry at all. She had lost a game, and now her critics would circle like sharks. There was blood in the water, and they were here for it. She blinked, steadied herself, and looked dead ahead.

Coach Queen stood, arms folded, in front of his kneeling team. Most of them hung their heads. Some of the boys stared into the distance, steel in their gazes. Queen waited until most of the Gators had disappeared into the distance, then eyed his team. He let his gaze settle on each of them, one at a time. Coaches Allen and Dig bracketed him on either side, their arms folded in reflection of Coach Queen. Finally, Queen spoke.

"Well, there we have it. It's about time." Queen's eyes finally settled on Kara's, and she lowered hers, ashamed. "Don't look away, all of you. Look at me." Coach waited for Kara to look up, then he continued looking around. "Every team needs to suffer a loss. We've done it. We're 3 and 1, and now we know what we look like after a loss." Queen paused, then looked at the scoreboard. "We know what we feel like after a loss." He looked at Digg and Allen. "We saw things we liked. We saw things we didn't. But we are still proud of you." They nodded behind him, two bobbleheads on a dashboard. Queen repeated himself. "We are still proud of you. Losing isn't easy but doing it early in the season gets it out of the way. From here on out, we play our game. Today you didn't play your game. On Monday we'll review the tape and we'll look ahead to Coast City." Queen took off his hat and wiped his forehead before recovering his cropped hair cut. "For now, I just want you to remember this feeling. Does this feel good?"

Some of the team shook their heads in dissent. Queen folded his arms again and repeated himself louder. "I said, does this feel good?"

The team yelled," No coach!" Back to him as a unified voice.

"Good. So, here's what you do this weekend. You sit with this. You reflect. After that? After that we all do our part to make sure we never feel this way again. Do we understand?"

The team didn't need prompting this time. They all yelled, "Yes coach!"

Coach Queen nodded his head approvingly. "Good. Grab your bags and let's load up. Let's go home."

On the bus ride back there wasn't a lot of chatter. Kara pulled out her phone and headphones. She wanted to play something, but she was stuck. Kara didn't have songs for losses. She didn't plan to lose. She never accepted loss. But here she was. Her eyes welled up as she looked down at her phone. She couldn't help but feel like the loss was her fault. If she'd thrown better or run more, they would have won. If she hadn't fumbled the ball-

A text broke through Kara's rumination. Another message came through before she could read the first, and then another. She was receiving a cluster of messages from Maggie, Lena, and Alex.

_It's a team sport._

_No one wins or loses alone._

_You did an amazing job._

Kara opened the group chat that someone had started, and they each sent the one last message,_ 'I'm proud of you, and you'll get them next time.'_ Kara smiled at her phone. She sent them back a heart. Kara left her headphones on, but she didn't play anything. She looked out the window and waited to get home. They would do better next week. For now, she would take the coach's advice: Sit with this loss, just for tonight.

"Explain to me what I'm supposed to be doing," Kara said, laughing.

"I'm going to be laying on your back. You're going to do pushups."

"Yes," Kara laughed harder, "but why?"

"Because I'm pretty sure you can't do it."

"You gonna take that?" Maggie asked. She leaned on the grass, her head pillowed on Alex's stomach. "Because it's looking to me like you're gonna take that." Alex laughed, and Maggie's head bounced.

Kara ground her teeth. "How many pushups?"

"I bet you can't do ten pushups."

Kara dropped down on her stomach, her hands palm down and her bare arms rippling in her tank tops. Kara pushed up into a plank. "Let's go Luthor, put your money where your mouth is."

Lena snorted. "Alright Supergirl, let's see what you've got." Alex pointed her phone at Lena and Kara, recording their nonsense. Lena laid on Kara's back. She looped her arms under Kara's, and held on to her shoulders like a backpack. "You've got to do ten, let's go."

Kara slowly lowered herself to the ground, held it for half a second, and rose back up. Maggie gleefully called out a one, and Kara dropped again. She was able to do ten without much effort, and Maggie encouraged them. "Keep going!" Lena burst out laughing on Kara's back, and Kara lost her focus. She collapsed onto the ground, trapping Lena's arms under her. They both laughed more.

"I told you I could do it," Kara grumbled as she shifted to free Lena. Her heart was pounding, and she wasn't sure if it was from the workout or from having Lena so close. Lena pulled her arms back and shoved Kara a bit.

"You're sweaty," she laughed. Kara wiped a hand across her forehead and dragged it down Lena's arm. Lena squealed, and Maggie and Alex laughed.

"Guys, look what I made!" She showed them her phone. She had recorded Kara and Lena. As the video started Lil Nas X could be heard singing slowly, "I'm gonna take my horse to the old town road," in time with Lena clambering onto Kara's back. The beat dropped just as Kara dropped into her first push up, and she lowered in time with, "I got my horses in the back." Alex and Maggie collapsed with laughter.

"Don't you dare post that!" Kara shouted as she tried to take away Alex's phone.

Lena's phone beeped. She saw that the video was posted on TikTok, and that Alex had tagged both Kara and Lena in it.

"It's too late!" Alex screamed as she rolled away from Kara. "It's gold!" Alex ducked behind Maggie.

Maggie raised her fists in a mock 'put 'em up' gesture. "Sorry Little Danvers, looks like you'll have to go through me."

"I hate you guys." Kara sat down and took her phone out. She watched the video, and Lena tried not to laugh as the audio started again. Kara looked at the post.

' TheBestDanvers: Look at these two idiots. LittleLuthor SupergirlDanvers #thatsgay #footballers'

"Alex this is so rude!"

"Well," Alex shrugged, "You are idiots, you are a footballer, and it was definitely kind of gay."

"Mom!" Kara yelled, looking at the house. The backdoor was open, letting the unseasonably warm September air flow through the house. Sunday afternoons were a lazy affair at the Danvers house. Lena was getting used to having a place to spend her free time, a place that felt safe.

"Yes, dear?" Eliza's voice floated through the open door.

"Alex is posting mean videos about me on TikTok!"

The smile in Eliza's voice made Kara cringe. "I saw it dear. I didn't think it was mean, I was impressed at your strength."

Jeremiah echoed, "You are all adorable. Keep it up!"

Kara dropped her face into her hands, and Lena's cheeks turned red. "Why do they have to be so cool?"

"I think they're the best," Maggie said quietly. Lena nodded in agreement.

"They are," Kara agreed. Lena's phone rang, and she looked down at it. "Who's Andrea Rojas again?" Kara inquired, staring at the name on the front screen.

"My best friend from boarding school."

"Can I answer?"

Lena raised an eyebrow at Kara, laughed and nodded. "Why not?"

Kara face lit up. She picked up the phone and said in her most valley girl voice, "This is Kara Danvers on Lena Luthor's phone, how can I help you?" Lena couldn't hear what Andrea said, but Kara's cheeks turned bright red. Kara said in her regular voice, "Yeah, she's right here." Kara practically shoved the phone into Lena's hand, then collapsed onto the grass, one arm over her eyes.

"Andrea," Lena chided, "what did you say to her?"

A rich laugh echoed over the line. " I said it was an honor to talk to the famous Kara Danvers, and if that beautiful Aphrodite didn't make a move on you soon, I was going to come claim her for myself." Lena snorted, then reached over and took Kara's hand. Kara's other arm stayed over her face, but a smile appeared.

"You're a jerk. What's up?"

"I've been trying to call you. Did you hear about Veronica Sinclair?"

"No, what happened."

"Her dad was arrested."

"For what?" Kara uncovered her eyes and watched Lena's face.

"Dealing. He ran a drug ring, he sold stolen goods, he sold women." Andrea's distaste echoed over the phone. "But the reason I'm calling is because no one has heard from Veronica."

"She's missing?" Kara sat up, taking Lena's hand in both of hers.

"We're not sure. We think she's just chosen to disappear. Just, if you hear from her can you make her call me? Or at least her mom?"

"Why would she call me?"

"Lena, she probably wouldn't call anyone but you."

Lena sighed. "Okay, yeah. If she calls, I'll tell her to call her family and I'll let you know."

"Thank you." Andrea paused.

"Something else?" Lena asked.

"I saw the picture of you two in the paper. You and the quarterback."

"Are you stalking me?" Lena asked, eyebrows scrunched together.

"Yes. One of you needs to make a move. Seriously. You're fulfilling all lesbian stereotypes everywhere."

"Goodbye Andrea!" Lena hit the red phone icon and ended the call, cutting off Andrea's laugh. _She is such an asshole._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love your comments. They really keep me happy.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Those of you who read my stories know that I was waiting on a covid test! Came up negative, but depression doesn't slow down, of course. As I get better at being trapped in my house, I'm remembering I love to write! Here's something for you. This won't be the next story I update, of course, but I'll keep going!

Kara was on fire. Lena couldn't believe it. Number 9 threw pass after pass. Lena had spent the last few weeks learning all she could about football. It was important to Kara, and so it was important to her. She had even watched the replay of Superbowl LII, just to understand why Kara had chosen her number. She wanted to know what Nick Foles meant to Kara. The more she knew, the more she understood how impressive the Midvale Spartans, and Kara, truly were.

After the loss to the Gotham City Gators, Kara had thrown herself into training. She spent an extra hour after practice every day, running drills. Lena would wait on the bleachers those days, doing homework, and writing out math study guides to help Kara keep her math grade up. A few times she had spent on the field, holding a giant bucket as high as she could so Kara could throw the ball into it. Lena wasn't sure that was the best way for Kara to improve her chances of hitting a moving target, but she trusted Kara not to hit her with the ball, so she helped when she could.

The week after the loss to Gotham, Kara was alive on the field. The Coast City Lanterns didn't know what was coming for them. Kara was a quarterback possessed. Almost every pass found it's mark. When she was about to be sacked, Kara spun away from the defender and ran for twenty yards. Coast City came in with a 4-0 record, and they left 4-1. The next game was more of the same.

The Bludhaven Arsenals tried to stop Kara. They blitzed all the time. (Lena's research told her this meant more defensive players charged Kara than normal. Thank god for the internet.) Kara held onto the ball for about two seconds, if Jimmy could be trusted. By the end of two seconds she had either thrown, run, or handed the ball off. The arsenals didn't have an answer for Kara, and if they couldn't answer her, they couldn't even start to think about the rest of the team. Every player operated as one. They knew when a hole was going to open up for a runner. The defense could read the Arsenals quarterback, Roy Harper, and he spent most of the night on the ground after being tackled again and again. Lena saw him throw his helmet at a bench after one turnover. The next play a different quarterback came out. This one was clearly younger and less experienced, and it went downhill from there. The Spartans won 49 to 13.

Today, Kara found herself facing the Keystone City Thunder, and their fans were bringing the noise. Keystone was close enough to Midvale that it felt like every Keystone student was there. The visitor side of Midvale Field was filled. The Thunder fans were stomping their feet, shouting in a way that Lena felt was entirely obnoxious. (Never mind that she and her friends acted the same way when they went to away games.) In response, Jimmy roared and pounded on his shield. Lena joined in to, brought into the primal rage of feeling challenged on their home field. Kara stretched on the field, doing high knees and throwing exercises as she prepared. The din of the fans didn't seem to touch her. Kara looked at the student section, and a roar went up. She took her hair down and pulled it back up, making a low bun that could be tucked safely into her helmet. The student section leader came around and tossed plastic spartan masks up to all the students.

The Spartans lost the toss, but it did nothing to silence the crowd. Kara jogged off the field to the sideline, where she waited for her chance. She paced a bit, following the action as the Thunder moved. At the end of the field, the Thunder kicked a field goal. Before Kara stepped onto the field she looked up at the stands. Lena held up her sign. It was a plain sign, but it had what looked like a Super S (to Lena at least) and over the top, it said, 'Danvers is my hero!' Kara's new routine couldn't be changed. She looked around, saw the sign, and pointed at Lena. Lena pointed back with one hand, holding the sign high with the other. Kara patted her chest then pointed up, and Lena pointed up too. Kara jogged onto the field and led the huddle. The game was about to really begin.

Jimmy leaned over, an amused shadow behind his plastic Spartan mask. "Don't think I haven't noticed," he murmured as he elbowed Lena.

"Noticed what?" She didn't look at him. She was focused on Kara. Kara's hot-streak was exciting at all times, and she wanted to see every moment.

Jimmy's camera lit up, and he showed Lena what he had taken a picture of. It was Kara on the sidelines, helmet on, pointing directly at Lena. He zoomed in, and Lena could see that Kara looked determined behind her facemask. "She's pointing at you."

"So?" Lena asked, still avoiding his eye. She felt her cheeks heat up. Kara dropped back with the ball, was almost tackled, and took off to the side. She made it a few yards before she was run out of bounds. Jimmy shrugged and lifted the camera to eye level again, taking pictures of the team on the field.

"I've never seen her do that before," Jimmy said casually.

"She's new to starting," Lena clenched her fists in front of her, watching Kara get tackled hard. She bounced back up.

"Athletes are superstitious. She thinks you're going to be around," Jimmy shrugged.

"What?" Lena asked, looking away as the Spartans lined up for another play.

"She thinks you'll be here for a long time."

Lena smiled as Kara handed the ball off to someone. She couldn't see who. "I intend to be." The Spartans got a first down, and Lena cheered. "I don't plan to be anywhere else."

The Spartans won the game, 35 to 28.

"Come here!" Kara dragged Lena through her house. "It's important!"

"Kara, we have studying to do!" Lena groaned. She let Kara pull her along by the hand anyways. She looked around and saw the house was suddenly empty. Where was Alex? Where did Eliza and Jeremiah go?"

Kara didn't answer. Instead, she pulled Lena through the front door. The door bounced off the wall with Kara's excitement. Kara caught the screen door before it could bounce back, and Lena covered her eyes to adjust to the sunlight. Alex and Maggie were waving balloons, and Eliza and Jeremiah had a giant painted sign between them. It said, 'Lena, homecoming?' in huge spray-painted letters. Jimmy was there too, smiling and taking photos of Kara and Lena. "You said you had never been to a homecoming dance, so I wondered if you would come with me?"

Lena's eyes watered as she looked at Kara. This girl was so kind and so pure. She didn't care who Lex had been, that Lionel didn't love her and that Lillian wished she would go away. She didn't push, she didn't demand. She just cared. Lena's eyes watered as she laughed and said, "Yes." Kara's family laughed, and Jimmy took photo after photo. Kara grabbed Lena and spun her around in a tight hug. Lena and Kara were made to pose with the sign, by the sign, and with the entire family. Lena didn't know why they were so excited about taking photos, but she was glad this happy moment was recorded forever.

Lena laid on the couch, her legs tented over Kara's knees. Kara gently rested a hand around Lena's ankle, while the other controlled the remote, flipping through the ESPN channels while Lena spokem "I hope you know we're going to match."

Kara groaned. "Lena, we have a month."

"We. Will. Match." Lena insisted, not looking at Kara. She studied from a binder without looking at Kara. What colors do you like?"

"Spartan colors," Kara responded without turning to Kara.

"What colors for real?" Lena sighed, dropping the binder flat so she could look at Kara.

"Alex," Kara yelled to her sister, who was in the kitchen with Maggie and Eliza.

"What?"

"What colors do I like?"

Alex snorted. "Spartan colors, why?"

"No reason!" Kara called back, letting her head fall to the side as she looked at Lena with her eyebrows raised.

"You're exhausting."

Kara finally dropped the remote, settling on a recap of the previous week's NFL games. "I know. But I'm pretty sure that since I asked you, it's your job to plan outfits." Lena smirked in a way that Kara didn't like. "What are you smiling for?"

"I don't know if you've noticed, but I have more money available to me than god. I might hire a stylist." Lena flipped through her phone, shooting off a few quick texts. "Do you prefer a suit or a dress?"

Kara shrugged, uncomfortable with the idea of being dressed by someone. "Whatever you choose."

Lena watched the way Kara sort of collapsed on herself. "Alex!"

"What?" Alex sounded annoyed.

"Would Kara rather wear a dress or a suit to homecoming?"

"Seriously? A suit, damn!" Maggie's giggles floated in from the kitchen.

"Thanks!" Lena nodded. She sent another text. "So, Kara, are you serious about Spartan colors?"

Kara nodded, trying not to smile. She didn't mind Lena taking charge of their outfits. "Sounds good." A particularly interesting play was shown on the tv. Kara leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Lena's legs as she watched a quarterback throw a long pass, and the receiver came up from the middle of three defenders to catch it. "Did you see that?" She gestured at the tv. "That's what I want to do."

Lena nodded. "You want to throw ill-advised passes into triple coverage?"

Kara's jaw dropped. "What?"

Lena shrugged a smirk on her face. "I research things I don't know about. I didn't know about football."

Kara dropped her head onto Lena's knee and looked at her. "If you keep this up, I will fall in love with you. You've been warned." Lena ducked her head, and Kara continued. "And sometimes you have to throw into coverage. But he still caught it!" Kara leaned back, one arm still hovering on Lena's calf. "I'm going to play at University first, of course. Then, the big leagues."

"Of course." Lena nodded, knowing the NFL was a long shot for Kara, but knowing she could get there anyway.

"What? Am I too short?" Kara flipper her ponytail off her shoulder. "The average quarterback is six foot three. Is five-eleven going to be enough?"

"I don't think you're too short," Lena rattled off, looking back at the binder. Michael Vick was successful at six feet. Russell Wilson is five-eleven."

Kara leaned back heavily on the couch, hand over her chest. "Marry me." Lena laughed a little too hard. "Guys!" Kara yelled for the rest of her family to hear. "I'm asking Lena to marry me, I hope that's cool!"

"Whatever makes you happy dear!" Jeremiah called from upstairs.

"Sounds good to me!" Eliza answered from the kitchen.

"About time!" Maggie and Alex shouted in unison.

Lena dropped the binder on her face, hiding. Kara laughed and kept watching ESPN. Eventually, Lena uncovered her face and kept studying, though she blushed for a long while after. Lena's phone rang, but she ignored it when she saw it was an unknown number. It was only later, when she listened to her voicemail back at the Luthor mansion - which didn't feel at all like home – that she heard Veronica's voice.

_'Lena, it's me. I know that I messed up, but I'm in trouble. Answer your damn phone next time I call. I can't leave a number. Just pick up.'_


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I've been healthy, alive, and pushing forward with things that make me happy. Living in the US is a dumpster fire right now, you know? This chapter is a bit longer than usual. Enjoy!

Lena sat on her bed, arms around her knees, her phone on speaker. She stared at it like it was going to bite her. Andrea's voice came out of the phone, laughing in amusement. "You've been going to every single football game?" She laughed before Lena could answer. "You don't miss a single game? Not one?"

"I've been studying, and it is _fascinating._" Lena started rattling off the team's statistics. "I've been watching professional games, and some of these people do the impossible. Statistically, they shouldn't succeed but they do! It's thrilling!"

"Who are you, and what have you done with Lena Luthor? I demand you return her right now, you body snatcher!"

"You're being dramatic. Remember when you took an interest in rugby?" Lena laughed.

"I didn't take an interest in rugby, Lena, I took an interest in Russell." Andrea chuckled good-naturedly. "And I bet I know what you love so much about football."

"Yes, it's interesting."

"I doubt Kara would appreciate you calling her an 'it.'" Lena dropped back on the bed. "Now, now," Andrea chided her, "It's okay to admit it."

Lena breathed out heavily. "She's just so sweet, Andrea. I don't know what to do." Lena waited, but Andrea didn't say anything, so she continued, "When I was with Veronica it was all about excitement. What can we ruin, who can we hassle, what trouble can we get away with? It was so exciting. I thought we were in love. But with Kara, it's different. It's like, she isn't here for the fun of it. She's here for….me, maybe?"

"What do you mean?"

Lena groaned. "I turned Kara down, right? I thought she was joking. But she didn't miss a step. And now we're going to homecoming."

"What's Lillian going to do when the prized Luthor heiress goes to homecoming with a girl?"

"Prized? What about me is prized?"

Lena could practically hear Andrea's smile through the phone. "Kara prizes you. I'm just saying, your photo is bound to show up in some gossip rag or another. Wherever Lillian is jetting to or whatever she's covering up for Lex, she's going to hear. What are you going to do when she does?"

"Nothing. Who cares? She's not my mom. She barely even gets to count as a mother to me."

"But that not-mother funds your life. So maybe, have a plan just in case?"

"Have I ever planned anything?" Lena asked.

"Lena, you have planned literally everything you've ever done. Don't mess with me." Andrea paused, and Lena waited for what was coming next. "Speaking of plans, have you talked to Veronica?"

"What? What part of that led to Veronica?"

"Stop dodging the question. Have you heard from her?"

"She left me a voicemail the other day."

"Where is she?" Andrea didn't let Lena answer. "Is she okay? What is she doing?"

"I have no clue." Lena sighed. "She called from an unknown number, and I didn't pick up. I'll pick up next time."

"Find out where she is."

"I know, Andrea. I'll pick up, I'll find her, and I'll call you."

Lena didn't hear from Veronica for well over a week. She checked her phone religiously, pulling it out every time it buzzed. She was checking her phone so much that at one point Kara reached out and stole the phone, tucking it into her own pocket.

"Kara! Give me my phone back!"

"Lena," Kara grumbled. "I don't understand any of your notes on tangents and cotangents, and every time I ask you trail off in the middle! Please help me!"

Lena dropped her chin into her palm and glared at Kara, her other hand out. Kara rolled her eyes, then dropped the phone into Lena's hand. "You know, Kara, I don't understand how you can be so bad at math." Lena titled her phone up so she could read the screen. The notification she missed was simply a news notification. "Everything you do to succeed at football is about angles, percentages, etc."

"Football is intuition. It's experience, and judgement, and hard work. I don't stand on the field and think about a right triangle, and how a tangent of an angle is the length of the opposite side divided by the length of the adjacent side." Kara sat up straight and looked surprised with herself. "Huh, okay, maybe I do get tangents a little. Help me calculate them."

Lena set her phone down, screen up, and started to walk Kara through her notes. The library around them was just about empty, and even the librarian was nowhere to be found. Kara looked around in the middle of Lena's explanation, and then elbowed her friend. "Okay, out with it. You've been a space case all week. What's going on?"

Lena's eyes met Kara's. Kara's face was open, honest, and trusting. She wasn't demanding anything, she just wanted Lena to trust her. Lena dropped her eyes to her fingers, intertwining them to keep from looking at Kara's reaction. "I'm worried." Kara covered Lena's hands, holding them still, and waited for Lena to continue. "When anyone asks, I always say I got tired of boarding school."

"Which is a lie," Kara said, nodding.

"Yeah, I told you part of the story. You know I was kicked out for having a relationship with a girl." Lena shrugged. "She was my roommate. We got caught together in bed one day by, basically, a hall monitor. We were questioned separately. I said we were in a relationship. She said I coerced her."

"Ouch. I'm sorry Lena."

Lena raised an eyebrow and bit her lip. "Veronica didn't seem to mind. I told her to stay away from me. She tried to apologize after, but I didn't want to hear it. My punishment was to be locked in this Podunk town," Kara snorted "under Lillian's watch."

"But Lillian isn't around."

Lena sighed heavily. "She doesn't really have to be. She'll disown me if I shame the family. You have no idea how much money she spent to keep that bit of gossip out of the tabloids." Lena raised her hand like she was putting an imaginary headline on a billboard. _"Luthor heiress forces wealthy businessman's daughter into a lesbian relationship_." Lena laughed. "My transcript doesn't say I was expelled, and the boarding school has a brand-new addition being built to keep that under wraps."

Kara nodded slowly, eating her granola and not interrupting. She rubbed Lena's shoulder in a soothing manner.

Lena groaned. "The girl though, Veronica, she's disappeared. I think she's in trouble. Her dad's been arrested, and no one can find her. She left me a voicemail last week. I'm waiting for her to call again when she can." Lena met Kara's eyes. "I'm not still in love with her."

Kara's eyebrows scrunched together. "Okay. Are you trying to convince me or you?" Lena didn't answer. "Did you love her?"

"I did, then."

Kara smiled, taking Lena's hands again. "That's why you're worried. I'm sorry I stole your phone." Kara paused. "If you've been waiting for this call for a week, why did you wait so long to tell me? You don't have to carry all this by yourself." Kara flexed. "See, I'm strong. I can help."

"I really hate you sometimes." Lena allowed herself a moment to admire Kara's arms before she pushed her hand away and laughed. "I'm sure Veronica is fine. She has a history of doing her own thing."

The bell rang, signaling the end of their lunch period/study session. They both shoved their books into their bags to avoid being late. Kara grabbed Lena's bag and threw it over her shoulder with her own before putting her free arm around Lena. "You couldn't hate me if you tried."

"I know." Lena smiled as she and Kara bumped hips as they clumsily made their way down the hall. "Don't make me try, though. Seems exhausting."

Kara walked Lena to her next class, handing over Lena's book bag before they split up. "Thanks for trusting me."

Lena held onto Kara's hand a little too long as she took her bag. "Thank you for being trustworthy."

Kara smiled a mischievous grin. "Thank you for thanking me for being trustworthy."

Maggie hurried down the hall, shoulder checking Kara. "You're gross, Little Danvers!" she called as she kept going to her class.

Kara finally let go of Lena's hand and bag with a, "See you later."

Lena walked into her class smiling, checking her phone just once more before class began. Nothing.

"Do you think she likes me?" Kara asked Winn as they jogged warmup laps around the field.

"I mean, I don't know," Winn said between heavy breaths. They were on mile two, and it was eighty degrees out. "Did you ask her?"

"Why would I ask her? You don't ask a girl if she likes you, it makes you look like an idiot." Kara laughed. "Did you ask Lyra if she liked you?"

"Well, no. She told me though." Winn thought for a moment as they rounded the track again. "Did you tell her you like her?"

"I asked her out. Doesn't that count as telling her?"

"I guess it does. What did Alex say?"

"She thinks Lena likes me and told me she wants to be my Best Maid of Honor."

"Well, there you go. Alex thinks she likes you." Winn leaned over, hands on his knees as they finished their warmup. "Aren't you two going to homecoming together?"

"Yes, but does that even mean anything?"

Winn looked confused. "Doesn't it mean something?"

Kara groaned. "What if I've moved myself entirely into best friend land?"

Clark finished his laps, joining his cousin. "What's your major malfunction?"

"Nothing." She was too frustrated with herself to go through the problem again.

Clark waved at the stands. "Look, Lena's here again." He jumped up and down, waving both arms. Some of the players started to laugh. Lena looked up to see what the commotion was. She waved, and Clark cheered before going to grab a drink. Kara waved sheepishly, and Lena waved again before returning to her homework.

"Just ask her." Winn insisted. "At the very least, tell her what you feel."

Winn threw a water bottle to Kara. She caught it, took a sip, and finally agreed. "I'll tell her." She tossed the water bottle back. "I'll tell her."

Lena pulled into Kara's driveway. She checked her phone quickly. It had been about eight days since Veronica had called, and she was starting to worry something had happened to the girl. Kara bounded out, skipping to Lena's Mustang. She threw open the door and tossed her bag into the backseat, narrowly avoiding hitting Lena with her gear. "Be careful, you monster!" Lena yelled. She stopped for a moment, finally looking at Kara. Her jaw dropped.

Kara was wearing a dark blue suit today, instead of the black one. She had on a white button-down, and today's tie was a dark blue to match. It had red stripes, silver knights, and perfectly matched Kara's pocket square. Kara dropped into the passenger seat. She buckled up, pushed her glasses up, and smiled at Lena. "You okay?"

"I'm great. Are you great?"

Kara laughed. "Fantastic. You coming to the game tonight?"

Lena threw a sarcastic glance Kara's way before putting the car in reverse. "Kara, do I ever not come to games?"

"I mean, not yet." Kara flipped down Lena's visor and fixed her hair in the mirror. "But I don't know, maybe you have other plans."

"How many games have I come to so far? Five?"

"Seven," Kara answered quickly. "I've been counting." Kara shut the visor. "You're my good luck charm."

Lena tried not to blush. She kept her eyes on the road, just in case. "That's sweet. I guess I'll have to go to every game all season." _That was already the plan,_ Lena laughed to herself. "Tell me about tonight."

Lena thanked her lucky stars that Opal City was only an hour away. Jimmy was home for the weekend again, and he was loudly singing what he had declared to be the fight song this season: The Champion by Carrie Underwood. Lena had heard the song before and even enjoyed it, but the idiot in her front seat had played it five times in a row already. It didn't help that he was painfully off-key and Alex or Maggie rapped Ludacris' part every time. The football team had been dismissed much earlier in the day to give them time to eat and relax before the game, so Lena couldn't even hope they would catch the team bus this time. She grit her teeth and tried not to think about how fun it would be to brake check the irritating trio.

After the eighth playthrough, Lena had had enough. She hit shuffle on the radio. James tried to protest, and she yelled, "This isn't a democracy, it's a Mustangocracy! I'm sorry, but I'm overruling you." She breathed a sigh of relief when a new song came through the radio. "Thank god. My ears are still ringing."

James folded his arms and sat back, his lip stuck out in an exaggerated pout. "You guys think we're going to win today?"

"I think we're going to win every day," Alex called from the backseat. She leaned forward over the front console and turned the radio down.

Lena swatted Alex away. "Are you buckled up?"

James cut in. "The Knights have only lost one game. They're going to be a challenge. I'm nervous, but we have a great team. This will be a real test for Kara."

"Who did they lose to?" Maggie asked.

Lena knew the answer to this. It was the same reason she was a little nervous, too. "Gotham, just like us."

When the car ride ended, Lena nervously tugged at Kara's second practice jersey. It was baggy on her, so she wore it over her hoodie. Kara had given Lena her second practice jersey so Lena would match the crowd. Their home jerseys were white, just like most of the practice jerseys. The jersey Lena was wearing today was the bright red jersey, and she fit in with the powerful colorful block the Spartans would make on the away side bleachers. The Opal City security guards weren't allowing Spartans to bring in their shields. Lena shut the trunk, locking away their prime noisemaker. The guard cited 'security concerns' but Lena saw it for what it was: They were protecting the home team's morale. Lena didn't blame them, but she didn't like it either. _Oh well,_ she thought,_ at least we still have our masks._

Kara could feel the challenge mounting. The crowd was growing, and the Knights and the Spartans both had something to prove. There was a good chance that the Gotham City team would make the playoffs, and whoever won today was one step closer to proving they deserved that rematch. Kara dropped back, throwing a quick ball to Clark as he hit an imaginary route. Mike threw Kara a second ball, and she dropped back again and threw another ball. She needed to warm up. She needed to be in the right mental space. Kara sat down to stretch while she waited for Clark to jog back with the footballs. She quickly scanned the stands, looking for Lena. She counted to ten through the stretch, but she still didn't see Lena in the sea of red. Clark got to her and she turned her attention back to the warmup. She was superstitious. She needed to see Lena before the game started.

Kara finally spotted Lena as she was leaving the coin toss before the start of the game. She heard a loud whistle and looked towards it. She saw Jimmy, fingers in his mouth as he whistled shrilly again. Luckily, Jimmy towered over the rest of the student body. On his left stood Lena, the bright number nine standing out on her jersey. Kara thanked her lucky stars that Jimmy was so tall. Lena was talking to Alex, and Kara watched her as she jogged to the huddle. The Spartans had lost the coin toss, so they would be receiving the ball first.

"This isn't our field." Kara looked around. "This isn't our stadium." She stood in the middle, spinning so everyone could see her face. "This is our crowd though. Look at them." Some of her teammates did. They could hear the uproar around them. "We're well on our way to something big this year, but every game matters. They don't think we can win. They think this is their day." Kara got louder. "They will have their day, but not today. Today is ours. You hear me?" A chorus of 'yes' came up around her, and she yelled again. "Do you hear me?" Her team got louder, drowning out the crowd with their roar. "On the count of three!" Kara reached her fist straight up, and her teammates reached in towards her. "One, two, three!"

The team shouted with one voice, "Stronger together!" They broke off to the side, with special teams jogging to their place on the field. Kara looked back up to where she had seen Lena before. She pointed at the girl in the crowd. Lena pointed back, and Kara beat her fist against her shoulder pads. She was ready.

The whistle blew, and the game began.

The Knights had studied Kara. She knew it. They were on her every play. She liked to drop back three steps, but the Knights' front line was overwhelming the Spartans'. Kara threw two incomplete passes, was sacked, eventually, they had to punt the ball. She jogged over to the sideline where Barry was waiting with his clipboard.

"Kara, look at this." He gestured to his notes. "You need to be quicker. They're not just blitzing; they're pushing our front line over."

"Be faster, then, right?"

Coach Allen nodded.

"Much. If the line can hold for a second, that's going to have to be enough time. We'll wear them out, then you can relax."

Kara nodded, and Coach Allen patted her helmet before moving on to the line. Kara watched the Knight's offense take the field. They were more successful, coming away with a field goal. Kara ran out onto the field, taking a deep breath before getting ready. They lined up, and Kara called the play. "Blue 32! Omaha!"

Otis snapped the ball and Kara dropped back one step. She pitched it to Clark, who took off. He made it five yards before he was tackled, and Kara smiled. They would win this game, a few yards at a time.

By halftime, Lena was stressed out. The Spartans were down by six points, and she wasn't used to them being down at all. "What's next?" She asked James as the team ran into the locker room.

"Patience," he counseled her. Have you noticed that Kara has had longer and longer to throw the ball? It's coming down to conditioning."

Lena thought about how often the Spartan's spent on the field just running laps. Their team was fit. If they could outlast the other teams' defense, they would win. The team came out of the locker room, and Lena watched for Kara anxiously. She brought up the end of the team, walking with the coaches. They seemed to be talking intently about what they were going to do. Lena knew that six points were nothing with Kara at the helm.

No one scored in the third quarter, but Lena was starting to see what James was talking about. The Knights' defensive line was collapsing. They were tired. They were no longer getting to Kara, and the Spartans knew it. The Spartan line was growing more confident, and they were beginning to steamroll the Knights. By the fourth quarter, it was the Spartan's game.

Kara dropped back, and for the first time in the game, had five seconds to contemplate her next move. She danced on her toes, bouncing lightly from left to right, before deciding she didn't like what was developing downfield. She took off, leaving the pocket at a sprint. Kara made it fifteen yards before she slid to end her run. The Spartan's fans exploded. It seemed like Kara was fed by their energy. Clark grabbed Kara's hand and hauled her to her feet. They lined up again, forcing the Knights to line up quickly.

This time Kara faked a handoff to the right before pitching it to the left. The running back took off, finding a hole and getting an extra six yards. They were about at the fifty-yard line when Kara threw a twenty-yard pass to Winn. Right before he was about to get tackled, Winn tossed the ball backwards to Clark. Winn was tackled heavily, and Clark dodged a defender to run into the endzone. The kick was good, putting the Spartans up by seven points. The Knights also fumbled the kickoff, and the Spartans recovered and scored again. Lena screamed loudly, causing Jimmy to cover his ears in mock pain.

The Knights never recovered. The Spartans won 28-14.

Kara pushed her way through the crowd after the team had been temporarily freed. People kept high fiving her, calling her name, and getting her to pose and take pictures with them. The other quarterback, Billy O'Dare, stopped Kara to congratulate her. He talked about how he looked forward to maybe seeing her in playoffs. Kara saw Lena out of the corner of her eye, waiting on the side with the rest of their friends. Kara tried to listen to Billy, but Lena was smiling softly at her, and she just wanted to push away from him.

"Alright, team!" Coach Queen yelled over the crowd. "Almost time to load up!"

"See you later, Supergirl. Keep killing it!" Billy said, shaking Kara's hand again and disappearing into the thinning group.

The team started pushing their way to the locker room to grab their bags. Kara held back. Lena came over and reached for Kara, who wrapped her arms around Lena's waist and spun them around in a circle. "You had me worried," Lena admitted when Kara put her down. She kept a hand on Kara's shoulder pad.

"I was never worried." Kara could hear James' camera shutter as he snapped photos, but she didn't pay him any mind. "Hey, actually, I wanted to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"Danvers!" Coach Queen shouted. Both Alex and Kara yelled, "What?"

"Football Danvers. Let's go! You're holding the team up!"

"Alright!" Kara hugged Lena again. "I'll have to see you guys after. Pick me up at the school?"

"We'll meet you there!"

Kara hugged Alex, Maggie, and then James before jogging her way to the locker room with a quick wave. Lena cocked her head, wondering what Kara was going to ask. She shrugged, turned, and shoved her friends toward the exit. "Let's go losers! We gotta beat the bus!"


End file.
